There's no logic in legalizing illicit drugs

Gordon Gill
Quips AND Quotes

     Seeking avenues to elude the law seems to be commonplace these days.  Evidence of such an activity is witnessed by the legalization of marijuana in the states of Arizona and California.  California doesn't surprise me so much, as that state is notorious for off-the-wall compromises of established traditional law.

     The hippies, the riots, the burning of parts of Los Angeles and the continuous violence caused by gang rivalry in that coastal state have provided pages of history that will be infamous for years to come.

     Arizona, on the other hand, has generally been regarded as a conservative entity and has not been in the headlines as an area of unorthodox behavior.

     Why the powers that be of these two states made the decision to legalize a drug that has an established and well-founded history of mental impairment to users, is disturbing.

     John Gray, Altoona police chief, wrote an excellent article in the recent issue of "Inside Altoona," a regular newsletter published by the city.  In the article, Chief Gray cites statistics which provide unquestionable facts that support the effort to abort such legislation.

     Television has become a purveyor of violence, lurid scenes of passion and often an apparent disregard for law and order.

     A concerted effort is being staged to gag the tobacco industry and protect our young people from the dangers of nicotine and its potential threat to their health.

     As we look at this valiant endeavor, and then consider an attempt to legalize an illicit drug, one must wonder about the logic.

It is a proven fact that smoking is dangerous to your health and should be avoided.  But marijuana doesn't fall into this category?  Come on, let's get reasonable.

--GG--

     To do for the world more than the world does for you -- that is success.

     Gill, a lifelong Altoona resident, is a former owner and longtime columnist for the Herald-Index.

Thursday, May 8, 1997, Page 6A.
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