Pubdate: Sun, 14 Apr 2013
Source: Tribune Star (Terre Haute, IN)
Copyright: 2013 Tribune-Star Publishing Co. Inc.
Contact:  http://www.tribstar.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/448
Author: Mike Travelstead
Page: B3

MAKING SENSE OF MARIJUANA DEBATE

I have been listening to the debate about marijuana laws. The 
argument being made to keep pot illegal which I have no problem with 
is that it keeps pot away from our kids. But applying that argument 
to alcohol makes me ask why alcohol is not illegal?

The CDC and the AMA state that there are 75,000 alcohol-related 
deaths a year, and 50 percent of adult auto fatalities and 39 percent 
of teen auto fatalities are alcoholrelated. They state that alcohol, 
not pot, is the most abused drug in the USA.

Another one of the surveys stated that there are 11 million drinkers 
under the age of 21. They did not say what the criteria for the 
survey were. I don't believe the gateway drug theory but if I did 
then I would say it's alcohol.

Five inmates filed a lawsuit against major alcohol companies blaming 
them instead of pot for the decisions they made that led to their 
crimes. One lawyer said, "alcohol's addictive nature is no secret and 
is well known."

So we defend alcohol if it's called a gateway drug, but if you 
substitute pot where the inmates say alcohol then you get every 
speech an officer has made about how inmates got started on a life of crime.

A USA Today opinion article on pot laws asked, "Do we want to add 
another available drug to roads where alcohol already causes mayhem?" 
So they use the effects of the legal drug as a reason to keep the 
illegal drug against the law.

The health effects of alcohol are just as damaging as pot. The only 
difference is pot has bronchial damage and alcohol causes liver 
disease which puts it at No. 4 on the leading causes of death. 
Alcohol does the same damage to a developing adolescent brain and 
causes just as many life issues for a teenager.

They say kids of smokers are more likely to light up. They say the 
same thing about kids of drinkers. The AMA also stated that 2/3 of 
teen sexual assaults are alcohol-related. Why do we accept the damage 
alcohol does to society?

One last point, look at the proposals for lessening incarceration 
times on pot laws in the state of Indiana. They want to lessen the 
time for those caught selling around schools. This is a mistake and 
should be reversed. I would think around the schools would be maxed 
out and home use be lightened.

- - Mike Travelstead

Terre Haute
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom