See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Stanley P. Gershbein
Brooklyn Daily
Right now, there are those in and around this city that are asking:
• How much do they charge for marijuana in Colorado?
• How much marijuana am I permitted to buy?
• At about $600 a round-trip ticket, is it worth my while flying there to purchase a large quantity for “my own personal use?”
No! Don’t do it! According to CNN, Fox, MSNBC, and all of the stories I’ve read about this new law, one can only buy small amounts for recreational use. Even if you were able to buy many small amounts to fly back with, grass is not permitted in the airport. You probably won’t be arrested, but they will make you throw it away in a special trash can. So now the question is, what happens to that trash can at the end of the day? I was told by an unreliable source that it just might be moved to a break room where it will be divided between the law enforcement officers to be taken home and “disposed of.”
• • •
In this country, marijuana is the second-most abused substance behind alcohol. For as far back as I can remember, the biggest reason for attempting to make pot legal is that the dangers of smoking weed are no worse than drinking alcohol. With no one of authority being able to conclusively tell me that it is less worse, I must conclude that the dangers of booze and pot would have to be approximately equal. How many alcoholics are there in the United States?
One website informs me that there may be as many as 12-million alcohol abusers in America. I don’t drink at all. I hate the bitter tastes of liquor and I can’t even get a Heineken up to my nose. Once upon a time I was a heavy smoker. I personally found it easier to inhale some burning leaves than to down a beer, so, for me, if I were forced to choose, I would prefer smoking grass over drinking liquor.
I must conclude that for every one alcoholic in society, there will probably be one pothead. Therefore, if by some chance marijuana becomes legal in the 50 states, there will be 24-million Americans who will be drug and alcohol dependent. Only users will argue that point.
• • •
The new Colorado law will be followed by Washington State. This year, voters in Oregon, Alaska and, of course, California, will also consider legalizing marijuana. This will be a terrific experiment. Two or three years down the road, statisticians will be examining the effects of this mind-altering drug on highway accidents, lowering of test scores in high schools and colleges, and dependency. I have never tried pot, and with the jury of my mind still out on this issue, I will wait for the results. Until then, I am StanGershbein@Bellsouth.net placing my trust in my physician who told me why he is not in favor of legalization: he agrees with the American Medical Association that pot is not good for you.