EASY ACCESS AIDS TEEN POT SMOKING

I have my own theory about why Florida teen-agers increasingly are
switching to marijuana.

First, though, comes Robert Sharpe of Lindesmith Drug Center and Drug
Policy Foundation in Washington, D.C.

This man thinks marijuana is relatively harmless, but tobacco is highly
addictive. For his edification, crack cocaine and methamphetamines -- not
tobacco -- are the most addictive drugs known to researchers.

Anyone can quit tobacco use if he or she wants want to. Not so with crack
and meth, according to experts. However, pot is listed as a controlled
substance, for some reason. Perhaps this is because it can lead to
hard-drug use. But Sharpe and the anti-smoking types want to paint tobacco
as the scourge of society and the root of most evil.

Can you list the destitution, broken homes, job loss and misery that
tobacco use has caused? How about naming people who have been arrested for
driving under the influence of tobacco? How many convictions for public
"tobacconess"?

What has driven our youth to increased use of pot is because it is much
easier to get than cigarettes, thanks to a plethora of laws.

I doubt that it costs more, though, because lawsuits and taxes have almost
driven the price of tobacco products out of many users' reach.

I have a novel idea. Instead of downplaying pot and demonizing smokers and
smoking, let's devote all that money, time and effort to keeping kids safe
from real drugs.