By Sharon Witham
Thanks Lake County Board of Supervisors and Sheriffs Department for your efforts in trying to stem the tide of marijuana gardens in our area.
A few questions please: Legitimate medical use aside, how is legalizing yet another mind-altering substance going to help our society? We already have enough problems with people who have substance abuse problems and by condoning the use of marijuana those numbers will increase, especially with teenagers. They”ll be able to get it anywhere, anytime.
Next, where are you going to smoke this stuff, now that cigarettes are all but banned? You can”t smoke in an apartment, in a park, on the beach, etc.
What about second-hand smoke in your home or car when your kids are around? Hmm, you might as well get ”em used to being high while they”re young.
Next, I don”t know how many of you out there know what a marijuana garden smells like. The smell is more obnoxious than the smell of a skunk, and lasts as long as the plant does. Do you want that in your neighbor”s backyard? It”s not fun in the summer when you want your windows open.
Next, why do people (other than legitimate users) want to smoke pot? They smoke it for the same reasons they use alcohol … to get stoned! They may use a lot of other excuses, but the bottom line is that they just want to get high. I would venture to say that people stoned on pot are not the hardest workers in the office, stores or schools.
Yes, the effort to control, or better yet eradicate, marijuana is very expensive, just like arresting, prosecuting and jailing murderers, thieves and child molesters, but the cost to our society will be much greater if it becomes legal!
