Pubdate: Sat, 07 Mar 2015
Source: Asbury Park Press (NJ)
Copyright: 2015 Asbury Park Press
Contact:  http://www.app.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/26
Author: Joseph Galeani

EDITORIAL ON MARIJUANA ON WRONG SIDE OF HISTORY

In the Press' Feb. 19 editorial "Don't make N.J. mecca for stoners," 
which came out against legalizing marijuana, it's sad to see my 
hometown newspaper desperately clinging to the wrong side of history. 
The editorial gives five specious excuses for prohibition.

First, we can't legalize cannabis during an opioid epidemic. This is 
counter-intuitive. Legalizing pot would free up resources to combat 
opioid abuse.

Second is the risk of children inhaling second-hand smoke. I don't 
know who the writer's babysitter is, but I think most people know to 
put the drugs, guns and pornography away until the kids leave.

Third is New Jersey and its colleges becoming Meccas for stoners. 
Legalizing gambling and gay marriage does not make us Meccas for 
degenerates and homosexuals, so relax.

All colleges are magnets for stoners. Those people love higher 
education. In fact, I think replacing our state's prohibitionists 
with potheads could raise our collective I.Q. by at least 10 points.

The editorial continued with some nonsense about millions in tax 
windfall not being enough to solve all our state's problems, implying 
if we can't fix everything, we shouldn't fix anything.

Finally, it said we should let the Colorado experiment play out. How 
long? It's been over a year. The sky hasn't fallen and it won't. It's 
just weed!

Fifty-eight percent of Americans support legalization. That number 
keeps growing. Our current marijuana laws are based on ignorance and 
lies. The more people learn, the more obvious this becomes.

If politicians and media outlets can't see the obvious, how can we 
trust them with more complicated issues?

Joseph Galeani

Middletown
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom