MARIJUANA= LEGAL AS TOMATOES

 http://www.fortwayne.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150310/EDITORIAL/320157286/1037/LETTERS

Posted on Tue. Mar. 10, 2015 - 12:01 am EDT

Letter to the editor: All God created is good, including marijuana

From The News-Sentinel

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“I am proposing that this plant be regulated like tomatoes, jalapenos or coffee. Current marijuana policies are not based on science or sound evidence, but misinformation and fear. All that God created is good, including marijuana. God did not make a mistake when he made marijuana that the government needs to fix.
Let's allow the plant to be utilized for good — helping people with seizures, treating warriors with PTSD, producing fiber and other products — or simply for beauty and enjoyment. Government prohibition should be for violent actions that harm your neighbor -- not for the possession, cultivation or responsible use of plants.”
Unfortunately, these words were not released by any state senator or representative from Indiana, but from Texas state representative David Simpson (R-Longview). They articulated something I have been trying to say for a long time.
I perceive that there are some Christians and Muslims that would regard me as an “infidel,” worthy of nothing less than hellfire and brimstone. But, regardless of how I look at any superstition, I will say this: Our planet has been blessed with countless flora and fauna that are beneficial, if not down-right necessary, to our health and well-being.
Human beings have been consuming cannabis for over 8,000 years with no discernable ill effects. So, why has it in just the last several decades become such a menace to society? Why is it a Schedule 1 substance? Why is this plant (or any other) still illegal? Why hasn't any other politician besides David Simpson come to their senses?
Melissa Etheridge once said, “It isn't just about getting high anymore.”
I have severe COPD — not from smoking cannabis, but from that truly “evil weed with its roots in hell” — tobacco. I can't smoke cannabis like I did “back in the day” because it makes me cough so terribly. But when I do, and after the coughing has subsided, I breath more freely (bronchiodialator). Stuff comes out (expectorant). Any anxiety or depression this old vet may be feeling just sort of floats away. If the worst side effect of this substance is a mild euphoria, remind me again why it is illegal.
But, alas, as with Sunday alcohol sales, the state that I call home will probably be the last to wipe the criminalization of this plant off the books.
Dan Headlee