Pubdate: Tue, 08 Mar 2016
Source: Patriot-News, The (PA)
Copyright: 2016 The Patriot-News
Contact: http://www.pennlive.com/mailforms/patriotletters/
Website: http://www.pennlive.com/patriotnews/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1630
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n122/a05.html
Author: Stan White

WHY NOT COMPLETELY LEGALIZE MARIJUANA?

While legalizing medical use of cannabis (marijuana) will lower hard 
drug addition rates as Kaytee Moyer states in her op-ed (Here's how 
medical marijuana will slow down opioid abuse in Pa., March 2 
PennLive) completely re-legalizing it will lower them more.

Selling cannabis in a government regulated market separates sales 
where people may also sell hard drugs. Some citizens who legitimately 
use opioids for medical conditions will choose cannabis even more, if 
it's available over the counter, like in Colorado and that will lower 
hard drug addiction rates.

Re-legalizing the God-given plant will eventually require the federal 
government changing its classification from a Schedule I substance 
alongside heroin, while meth and cocaine are only Schedule II 
substances. Government's discredited message to Americans, that 
cannabis is no worse than heroin and worse than meth and cocaine has 
been a dangerous and irresponsible policy costing the country in too 
many countless ways. How many people tried cannabis and find it less 
dangerous than government claims and believed other substances must 
not be so dangerous either, only to find themselves addicted to hard drugs?

Further, in over 5,000 years of documented use, cannabis has not 
killed one single person; that's safety on a Biblical scale.

STAN WHITE, Dillon, Colorado
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