MARIJUANA FACTS

I saw the story about the "drug legalization speech" that was given
recently by Cliff Thornton. I see a lot of truth to legalization.
Jesse Neal's comment on crack babies was wrong. I am almost 100
percent sure that Mr. Thornton does not agree with crack cocaine being
legalized, nor do most drug users; we all know this is a terrible drug
that people will lie and steal and sometimes kill for.

Marijuana, on the other hand, should be legalized and sold just as
alcohol and tobacco. Compare the number of traffic fatalities related
to alcohol vs. marijuana. When was the last time you heard of someone
blacking out from smoking? I can't recall. How many people die from
smoking marijuana each year? How many die from smoking cigarettes? The
numbers for marijuana health-related deaths are so low that that there
is no comparison. Yet we can go buy cigarettes anytime we like.

People would like to make this out as a starter drug. I don't think
so. However, when people have to buy marijuana in "back alleys," and
their contact happens to be out of marijuana yet may have "something
else" right now, the buyer may then buy it just to maintain their
status as a good customer until the marijuana comes back. I know
without a doubt that there are many marijuana smokers that do only
that.

I am a 36-year-old male who has smoked marijuana practically every day
for the past 15 years. I don't drink, don't go out and party, yet I
still maintain a very active social life. I have been married to the
same woman for 13 years and have held the same position with my
company for the past 14 years and am very successful at what I do.

Too bad we have to hide in the closet and wait for someone with a
degree to decide that some things are just backward.

K.J. SMITH
Famped@aol.com