Reading the Sept. 30 editorial, “Legalize & Tax: Marijuana Initiative 502 offers the chance to abandon prohibition as a lost cause,” I am very disappointed that in endorsing Initiative 502 (which will legalize and tax marijuana), The Columbian made no mention of the increasing evidence that marijuana is a high-risk drug with high health and cost impacts for society.
I have written previously about the studies linking marijuana use to schizophrenia. Recent studies now link the drug to testicular cancer and permanent lowering of IQ.
The reason the war on marijuana in our society has failed is that the public and especially school kids continue to misperceive the drug as a harmless recreational drug. It isn’t.
Voters should know the risks to our future generations.
–Ann T. Donnelly, Vancouver
