Pubdate: Mon, 05 May 2014
Source: Ledger, The (Lakeland, FL)
Copyright: 2014 The Ledger
Contact:  http://www.theledger.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/795
Author: Richard Mattock

LEGALIZING MEDICAL MARIJUANA A SLIPPERY SLOPE

Why am I opposed to legalizing marijuana? When my 18-year-old son was 
introduced to marijuana, the changes in his personality ruined his 
life. He became a lazy, moody, insensitive, belligerent stranger, 
eventually borrowing a car and was killed in a car accident.

Sheriff Grady Judd has spoken strongly against this issue, describing 
it as "a wolf in sheep's clothing and gateway to stronger drugs." He 
certainly should know.

Businessmen are readying themselves to provide for huge 
medical-marijuana business even before ballots are counted.

Seminole County Sheriff Donald F. Eslinger has said: "Legalizing 
marijuana would reopen those floodgates with a new drug of choice, 
and we're going to be right back to the problems we just dealt with 
pill mills. Securing a medical-marijuana card will be too easy under 
the amendment, and even headaches and menstrual cramps might justify 
an identification card."

Dr. Orrin Devinsky says, "Data on the effectiveness of this drug is 
scant, and we should table the marijuana issue until more evidence is 
available."

The Barack Obama administration has given banks a road map for 
conducting transactions with legal marijuana sellers, making them 
feel more comfortable working with marijuana businessmen that are 
licensed and regulated, even though the product is illegal federally.

Car crashes, murders, overdoses are on the increase, and we are 
seeing just the tip of the iceberg. When we open the door to medical 
use of marijuana, it's just a matter of time, as it has been in 
Washington and Colorado, before we see the legalization of 
recreational use of marijuana.

I understand there are many varieties of marijuana affecting people 
differently. I don't want any parents to have to experience what my 
family has. Hopefully voters are smart enough to vote this bad 
legislation down in November.

Richard Mattock

Fort Meade
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom