Pubdate: Mon, 21 Jan 2013
Source: New York Post (NY)
Copyright: 2013 N.Y.P. Holdings, Inc.
Contact: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/letters/letters_editor.htm
Website: http://www.nypost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/296
Author: Bill O'reilly
Page: 23

AMERICA DECIDES ON 'JUST SAY YES'

IF you have kids, you most likely prayed hard that they would avoid 
drugs and alcohol. Once a child becomes intoxicated, childhood is 
over. The young person will never be the same again.

Thus, a sane society discourages substance abuse if only to protect 
children. A sane society does not put a happy face on inebriation. We 
are not a sane society. With almost 30 million Americans now 
categorized as "substance abusers," you'd think that Nancy Reagan's 
"Just Say No" campaign, which launched in 1983, would be resurrected. 
But saying no is not what America in 2013 is all about. Saying yes to 
whatever you want to do is the rule of the day.

Washington state and Colorado have legalized the use of marijuana, 
and many Americans are celebrating. As Bob Dylan once sang: 
"Everybody must get stoned!"

The usual excuses are put forth: It's a freedom issue. We can tax the 
drug to generate revenue. It will get the criminal element out of it.

But the truth is that legalized pot (or drugs of any kind) creates 
massive unintended consequences.

In Holland, so many problems arose from pot being sold in "coffee 
shops" that a law banning the sale of cannabis to "foreigners" was 
passed. It seems the streets of Amsterdam, in particular, have become 
saturated with stoned people doing things outside that should be done inside.

lThe Netherlands recently passed a new law, forbidding children from 
smoking pot in school. That's right, some of the urchins were getting 
high between classes. One teacher told the press it's hard to stop 
that when pot is being sold legally across the street, where hardcore 
drug addicts buy it and then sell it to the kids in order to get heroin money.

In Portugal, they have legalized all drugs. The result: Drug-related 
homicides have increased by 40 percent. Drug overdoses are up by 30 percent.

In Switzerland, drug-related deaths doubled and the health-care 
system was overwhelmed after heroin was made legal in Zurich. The law 
was rescinded.

But here in the United States, we are now bullish on pot. Willie 
Nelson wrote a book glorifying the drug. Snoop Dogg says he wants to 
teach his kids how to smoke reefer. And the media in general see 
marijuana as a harmless diversion. If you are down on pot, you are 
decidedly uncool.

Fine with me. I'll risk the stigma. According to the federal 
government, 8,400 Americans begin using drugs every day, half of them 
under the age of 18. And 68 percent of folks who become addicted to 
drugs begin with marijuana. Get the picture?

Celebrate the pot culture if you want. But know that you are not 
helping kids by taking the high road.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom