Pubdate: Sun, 12 Jan 2014 Source: Baltimore Sun (MD) Copyright: 2014 The Baltimore Sun Company Contact: http://www.baltimoresun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37 Author: Christopher Snyder O'MALLEY WRONG ABOUT MARIJUANA Gov. Martin O'Malley confused drug use with drug addiction when he was confronted recently with the issue of marijuana legalization ("O'Malley opposed to legalizing pot, Jan. 8). In opposing legislation, he said he's "seen what drug addiction has done to the people of our state, to the people of our city." We know he has federal political ambitions and his open-ended answer proves that. One can use a drug and not be addicted to it. Mr. O'Malley doesn't seem to realize that millions of Americans use marijuana already. What he really doesn't understand is that marijuana's illegality has contributed more harmful effects to society than marijuana's legalization ever could. Legalizing marijuana will stop the injustice of ruining our citizens' lives for simple possession of marijuana, a substance substantially safer than alcohol. If Mr. O'Malley really cared about the citizens of Baltimore and the state of Maryland, he would be in favor of marijuana legalization and/or decriminalization like Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and Del. Heather Mizeur. He would also come out vociferously for the decriminalization of marijuana. Locking people up, denying them jobs, giving them criminal records for the use of marijuana is past the point of absurd. It's high time we stop the madness of the past century and allow our justice system to focus on greater problems. Christopher Snyder, Abingdon - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom