LTE: Go with common sense
I like columnist James E. Causey, but his recent “State should legalize recreational use of marijuana” column is very weak (Crossroads, Dec. 2). He states that the Milwaukee County district attorney doesn’t think legalization would lead to more people using it. He also mentions that legalization would reduce law enforcement expenditures and that African-Americans should be treated as leniently as whites for drug law violations.
Expenditures and race are not points for legalizing anything. Legalization is about whether something is good, bad or neutral for society at large, with consideration also given to all seriously impacted individuals of all groups, no matter how small their numbers.
For example, consider that marijuana compared to legal alcohol is a quick high, and this makes it, by medical definition, much more psychologically addictive than alcohol. Also note, the number of people who might use marijuana is potentially greater than that of alcohol because marijuana strains range from stimulant to depressant in their physical effect while alcohol is only depressant. Then go sit in the corner of any Wisconsin emergency room on a Saturday night and see if you wish for the return of the alcohol-banning laws.
So who truly knows if marijuana, including marijuana and alcohol in combination, is worthwhile for society in general? It seems obvious that there needs to be a scientifically sound determination as to how at least the addiction-susceptible portion of our population would react to widely available, legalized marijuana. Personal opinion and anecdotal impressions will not make an informed decision on this.
Or how about just going with common sense? Colorado and Washington have just stuck their necks out by legalizing marijuana. Why not wait and see how they manage to face this issue for a few years before advocating any change here in one of the nation’s leading driving-under-the-influence states?
Jerome Flynn
WauwatosaÂ
Source:Â http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/letters04-ul7t08v-181922771.html
