Marijuana Legalization Debate Continues

As states are creating laws that circumvent existing federal laws, there is increased discussion surrounding the question of whether or not marijuana should be legalized.

I am a little older than most of the folks in the debate and I have been surprised to discover that several people I know use pot. Big deal, right? But it is. I am a suburban mom of three in a lovely town outside of a major city. Most of the people who live here are college-educated, good parents who moved to the burbs to raise their kids in a good school system with safe streets. Some of them also do pot. On one hand, I get it. Life is hard - bills are stressful, kids are difficult. It's easy to want to wind down wit a substance. I like a good piece of chocolate.

But, what's the big deal about pot? How much worse than cigarettes is it?

Tobacco does not tap into the pleasure senses as deeply as marijuana does. Its addiction stems solely from nicotine.

Cigarettes do not impair or hinder perception and brain function as marijuana does. Cigarette smoke harms the lungs, whereas marijuana affects the brain, the lungs, the heart and the immune system.

Marijuana use releases large amounts of dopamine and creates an ultimate addiction to pleasure. Obviously, using it once or twice won’t cause addiction. Nevertheless, it is a guaranteed road to addiction.

Alcohol impairs fast decision making, clarity of sight and movement. Marijuana impairs all of these, and the memory and senses as well.

Many claim that the legalization of marijuana will both increase tax revenue and reduce crime, since the drug will drop in price.

A study conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse and cited in the Los Angeles Times suggests that if marijuana were to be legalized and taxed, the estimated $1.39 billion of revenue would be cancelled by the costs of drug-related damages. The same study indicates that, for each tax dollar, an average of $8.95 is spent on fixing damages in some way caused by the abuse of alcohol or tobacco.

Who knows what expenses marijuana might add?

While I get the argument, I can't get behind it.