Pubdate: Thu, 22 Oct 2015
Source: Cincinnati Enquirer (OH)
Copyright: 2015 The Cincinnati Enquirer
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/aeNtfDqb
Website: http://www.cincinnati.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/86
Author: Mark Samaan

MARIJUANA IS NO MORE OF GATEWAY DRUG THAN ALCOHOL

The writer of the letter to the editor on marijuana leading to 
cocaine and heroin abuse is woefully misinformed ("Marijuana leads to 
cocaine, heroin abuse" Oct. 29). Marijuana is no more a gateway drug 
than alcohol, and alcohol is readily available on every other corner.

Often people argue against marijuana legalization by saying that 
people who use heroin started with marijuana. This is backwards 
thinking, as the question they should ask is how many people who have 
smoked marijuana have moved onto heroin. It is a negligible 
percentage. Rather, the measure of whether people will start abusing 
heroin is whether or not they have abused legally-or 
illegally-obtained prescription opiate pills.

Ethically it is imperative that marijuana be legalized. Alcohol, a 
far more deadly, dangerous and addictive substance than marijuana, 
can be bought by anyone who is at least 21 (although that doesn't 
stop anyone) and has a couple bucks in their pocket. Unless the 
anti-legalization crowd comes out in favor of banning alcohol as 
well, which has destroyed countless lives, families and communities, 
their argument that society will destroy itself with marijuana has no 
leg to stand on.

Mark Samaan, Columbia Tusculum
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