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Legalizing marijuana should be considered
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I guess I don’t need to point out the weather outside is frightful. Actually, besides the low temperatures we’re getting off lucky without the humidity and snow to go with it.

While the weather temperatures are cold, the argument about the legalization of marijuana is still hot and ongoing with California the latest to join the list of states where you can legally buy pot.

Personally, I’m for legalizing marijuana for many reasons.

Although not the most important on my list, we have legalized liquor all over. I’m not saying liquor is a good thing, but it’s a bit hypocritical to legally allow someone to consume an alcoholic beverage but get all upset about a person using marijuana recreationally.

Let me point out there’s a difference between addiction and recreational use of both marijuana and alcohol.
Statistics show in the United States, nearly 14 million adults, or every one in 13 adults, abuse alcohol or have an alcoholism problem. In addition, several million more partake in risky alcohol consumption that could potentially lead to abuse, and over three million American teenagers aged 14 to 17 have an alcohol problem. 

The difference being if you’re addicted to alcohol you can legally get your fix, whereas marijuana requires you to be in a better location. Meaning you have to be in one of the states that’s legalized its sale.

As you may know, I think people should take personal responsibility for their actions. If someone gets drunk, drives and kills someone then that person is responsible, not the fact that it was legal for you to buy those drinks that got you drunk.

Do we want the Federal Government dictating morality to us? They have a hard time providing medical plans and passing budgets.

I guess I tend to lean Libertarian when it comes to these types of things.

I would tend to think it should be the other way around with marijuana being legal and alcohol being outlawed, but we know how that worked out the last time. It made a lot of gangsters rich including some former presidents.

Currently, outlaws are still getting rich just off different products and marijuana where it is illegal. We could be using the tax money to help our public servants enforce the laws about drinking and driving better, give money to the border patrol and all kinds of beneficial programs including help for those who cross the line into addiction which we already do now, it would just be better funded and education is the best weapon.
For goodness sakes, we’ve been fighting the war on drugs since I was in high school and I’m reaching retirement age. We bailed out on Vietnam a lot quicker than the War on Drugs.

Marijuana also has some benefit when it comes to treating PTSD and other medical uses that alcohol doesn’t have but we legalize one and not the other…come on people wake up.

If marijuana was a gateway drug, everyone who grew up in the '60s and '70s would be addicts by now.

Contact Steve Warner at news@smithvillereview.com