Pubdate: Thu, 09 Oct 2014
Source: Bradenton Herald (FL)
Copyright: 2014 Bradenton Herald
Contact: http://www.bradenton.com/submit-letter/
Website: http://www.bradenton.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/58
Author: Lance Abbring
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n788/a02.html
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n791/a01.html
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n791/a02.html

MARIJUANA DOESN'T KILL, BUT ALCOHOL, TOBACCO DO

After reading Bill Orr's letter twice ("Legal marijuana will only
bring more criminal activity," Oct. 4), I read it for a third time ...
and yet still came up scratching the proverbial head.

As he conflated several different conspiracy memes/nonsensical numbers
- -- the U.S. market "just increased their profit by 1000 percent," "Ten
million illegals will help" via "well-organized and funded youth that
have been crossing our southern border" while aided by "well-paid
American officials at all levels to help them set this up" -- he
managed to make the world net daily site trump even the Fox News
Channel being a genuinely well-informed outlet. Incredible.

Luckily, the Herald saw fit to print a viable counterpoint the
following day in the Letters to the Editor via Bart Powell, "Argument
against medical pot ignores several points."

But, just as reason has surely won the day, on the opposite page our
venerable Sheriff Brad Steube, not unlike op-eds per our honorable
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and others in weeks past, makes the
argument that "Medical pot amendment too lenient, open to abuse."

Fact: Alcohol continues to kill 400,000-plus people per year.

Fact: Tobacco continues to kill 400,000-plus people per year.

Fact: Quasi-legal "marijuana" substitutes, i.e., K-2, Spice, et al., 
to this day sold all across Florida convenience stores, continue to 
send users to emergency rooms and worse (although I'm sincerely glad 
you've finally gotten the Florida pill mills under control).

Fact: There has never been one single documented death solely 
attributed to marijuana usage in world history.

Think about it, people.

Lance Abbring

Bradenton
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MAP posted-by: Richard