T
The420Guy
Guest
Pubdate: Tue, 27 Jun 2000
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Copyright: 2000 The Seattle Times Company
Contact: opinion@seatimes.com
Address: P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111
Fax: (206) 382-6760
Website: The Seattle Times | Local news, sports, business, politics, entertainment, travel, restaurants and opinion for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.
Author: Lou Rollins
MEDICAL MARIJUANA
The Dangers Of Pot Are Not The Real Issue
I'd like to state that it is not necessary to accept all of Kevin Nelson's statistics ("Legalizing
pot would be less harmful than the ban," Northwest Voice, June 18) in order to share his
opposition to marijuana prohibition.
Nelson says, "Tobacco kills 450,000 Americans per year, alcohol 125,000, marijuana 0."
How does Nelson know that nobody ever dies in traffic accidents due to impaired driving
ability as a result of smoking marijuana?
And how does Nelson know that long-term, frequent smoking of marijuana cannot possibly
cause or contribute to the development of serious lung disease? Nevertheless, it might still be
true that marijuana is much less harmful than alcohol or tobacco, and, in my opinion, it's a
better high than alcohol. (Tobacco is no high at all, as far as I'm concerned.)
More importantly, however, I oppose marijuana prohibition on the simple libertarian grounds
that it is not any of the government's or society's business how people choose to relax and
enjoy themselves in the privacy of their homes.
Lou Rollins, Port Townsend
MAP posted-by: Jo-D
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Copyright: 2000 The Seattle Times Company
Contact: opinion@seatimes.com
Address: P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111
Fax: (206) 382-6760
Website: The Seattle Times | Local news, sports, business, politics, entertainment, travel, restaurants and opinion for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.
Author: Lou Rollins
MEDICAL MARIJUANA
The Dangers Of Pot Are Not The Real Issue
I'd like to state that it is not necessary to accept all of Kevin Nelson's statistics ("Legalizing
pot would be less harmful than the ban," Northwest Voice, June 18) in order to share his
opposition to marijuana prohibition.
Nelson says, "Tobacco kills 450,000 Americans per year, alcohol 125,000, marijuana 0."
How does Nelson know that nobody ever dies in traffic accidents due to impaired driving
ability as a result of smoking marijuana?
And how does Nelson know that long-term, frequent smoking of marijuana cannot possibly
cause or contribute to the development of serious lung disease? Nevertheless, it might still be
true that marijuana is much less harmful than alcohol or tobacco, and, in my opinion, it's a
better high than alcohol. (Tobacco is no high at all, as far as I'm concerned.)
More importantly, however, I oppose marijuana prohibition on the simple libertarian grounds
that it is not any of the government's or society's business how people choose to relax and
enjoy themselves in the privacy of their homes.
Lou Rollins, Port Townsend
MAP posted-by: Jo-D
