Pubdate: Sat, 20 Feb 2016 Source: Bradenton Herald (FL) Copyright: 2016 Bradenton Herald Contact: http://www.bradenton.com/submit-letter/ Website: http://www.bradenton.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/58 Author: Mike McLeod DON'T ALLOW THE SMOKING OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN FLORIDA AMENDMENT PROPOSAL In response to the Feb. 14 Bradenton Herald editorial "Surrendering control on medical marijuana," I hope and pray this legislation to allow people to "smoke" marijuana for so-called medical purposes never passes. What needs to be passed is legislation allowing for the "pill" or "oil" that contains the medical support that comes from marijuana. The only reason people want to smoke marijuana is to get high! This would be detrimental to our society and to our youth growing up. There is simply no reason to allow our society to get high on marijuana when the ingredients in cannabis can be issued by a medical doctor in the form of a "pill" or "oil" prescriptions. Smoking marijuana is just as bad or worse for your lungs and other parts of the human body as regular tobacco. Once people get used to the "high" that comes from smoking cannabis, they like to move on to something a bit stronger and dangerous. If this legislation passes in its current form, someday you will see an increase in the current epidemic of the use of heroin. I would ask our best hope that truly works for the greater good of society and that is our friend, Rep. Greg Steube, to stop it and change it! Oh, verify parental permission for minors to get the medical marijuana? Give me a break. Mike McLeod Palmetto - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom