Letter: Legalize Marijuana at a Certain Age
Megan Jerome
April 30, 2008
Times Argus
I think that marijuana should be legal, with an age limit. You can buy and smoke cigarettes at 18 and buy and consume alcohol at 21; marijuana should be legal, too. Alcohol and cigarettes are worse for you, but are legal at a certain age. Cigarettes damage the lungs and can cause emphysema, bronchitis and lung cancer. According to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol is deadly and marijuana is not. The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention say that 20,000 Americans die each year as the direct result of alcohol consumption. The number of deaths due to marijuana is zero. Studies have never shown a death by overdose of marijuana or shown marijuana to have properties of being addictive like tobacco; so why do cigarettes and alcohol have a legal age limit when marijuana is less harmful and labeled an illegal drug?
I think that the Legislature should consider legalizing pot with an age limit of 18.
Megan Jerome, Northfield |
