Re: “Pot problems” column in the Dec. 19 edition
Joseph, I am sad your father was reckless and put his family in harms way when you were 14 years old. There are far more reasons to control the growth and purchase of it other than your bad memory.
Marijuana can be a “gateway” drug for harder, more potent drugs. Using it can set adolescents and adults into what they perceive as a blissful state where their minds and judgments are impaired.
As they continue to use it, it takes more of it to acquire that blissful state first experienced so they move on to something stronger to recreate that feeling.
I have asthma and the smell of it affects my breathing. It’s hard to walk past cigarette smokers – now I will have to dodge weed smokers as well? Very few smokers obey the law to not smoke in public places or to be five metres away from doors, windows and intakes. Will pot smokers be any better at abiding the law? Smokers at our hospital are five metres from the entrance, but I have to walk in the traffic area to stay at least five metres from them as they are on the sidewalk.
I believe marijuana may have health benefits to Parkinson’s disease and as a pain alleviator, BUT I am also not convinced that enough research has been done to prove there is no lasting effect on users of it so that eventually we could be a country of half-baked brains. I had to be with people that were on a pot high and all they wanted to do after toking up is sleep, stare into space and mumble, etc. It really killed a party as once they came down all they want to do is eat and then smoke up again.
I am not against legalizing it for recreational use but I do believe there has to be solid, realistic regulations in place prior to opening the door to legalization. There are states in the United States that are very sorry they opened the can of worms as they have had larger problems than they dreamt of when it was legalized.
My request would be to have it modified so it doesn’t stink when smoked. Us non-users should have rights too, because nine times out of 10, the weed smokers have no idea that us non-users can smell it on them, their vehicles and homes.
Edie Yuill
Athabasca, AB
