Regarding the editorial “Missouri pot legalization and record expungement shouldn’t be this difficult” (Aug. 21): I believe recreational marijuana legalization is far more complex than what the Editorial Board has described.
Legalizing marijuana is really an effort to commercialize pot for profit. It is today’s version of Big Tobacco and should be discouraged. The marijuana industry is seeing increased investment from existing giants of addiction like Phillip Morris in a move to cement future stakes in the industry.
More stoned people do not help society. According to the National Institutes of Health, Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic and World Health Organization, marijuana is addictive and can produce withdrawal and dependence.
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Today’s marijuana is much more potent than in the past. The National Institutes of Health states that regular marijuana use can reduce IQ by eight points and may be irreversible. It also impairs memory and learning. According to the American Journal of Psychiatry, “cannabis use, even among adults with moderate to severe pain, was associated with a substantially increased risk of nonmedical prescription opioid use.”
Missouri legislators could help people by addressing drug-misuse issues by increasing support and funding for effective prevention, treatment and recovery services. Let’s think this through and develop public health policy before we increase access to another addictive drug. What sort of world do we really want for young people who are vulnerable to the marketing of addictive drugs like alcohol, tobacco and marijuana?
Dennis Trask • St. Louis
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