Editor:
Re: Legalizing marijuana opens the doors to host of social problems, Nov. 16
Jim Stimson loses what little credibility he may have had by calling cannabis a dangerous and potentially lethal drug.
There is no pile of bodies from it as there is from alcohol. Further, there is not one fact in the article that supports the continued criminalization of cannabis.
Claiming that under decriminalization or legalization that more youth would suddenly use
is ignoring the fact cannabis is easier for kids to get than regulated substances like alcohol.
Preferring decriminalization to straight out legalization, by his own assumption, will increase use while still leaving the industry in the hands of criminals, the worst of both worlds.
There are appeals to emotion, to fear, to authority, but no relevant facts. Show us the bodies, the wasteland of human wreckage left by cannabis.
The long article could have been summed up in one sentence: "I'm prejudiced against cannabis because of how I feel about it and drugs in general."
Using criminal law for what would amount to a medical issue is the problem despite Stimson's screed.
Colin Walker
