Mr Calef, just because you don’t like the law, and find it inconvenient to the lifestyle that you prefer does not make it wrong. Many people claim that marijuana is not addictive and that it is less harmful then cigarettes. Did you know that more teens enter rehabilitation for pot use than for alcohol or all other illegal drugs combined? Or that there is 3 to 5 times as much tar and carbon monoxide than in a comparable amount of tobacco? How about that it also affects the brain in ways similar to cocaine or heroin? Pot is illegal for good reason. I have seen it change many people from active, healthy individuals to apathetic and seemingly dimwitted people over time.

An article on msnbc.com says that marijuana interferes with the parts of the brain that control memory, learning, concentration and coordination. It boosts heart rate, and can cause addiction, increased appetite, distorted perception, paranoia, difficulty thinking and problem-solving, loss of coordination, slower reflexes, and anxiety and panic attacks.

Long-term use may lead to memory impairment, changes in reproductive organs, and respiratory problems such as daily cough, phlegm, and chronic bronchitis and frequent chest colds. Marijuana smoke contains many of the same cancer-causing compounds as tobacco.

Pot is obviously not harmless, and if you’re going to try to legalize it, why not just go ahead and legalize cocaine and/or heroin? It is truly sad how society and the media have trivialized pot use to the point where we are on the verge of changing the law. It is not trivial, and it ruins people’s lives. That is why it is illegal!

Eric Baack

Senior

Mechanical Engineering