In response to Dianne Slater’s letter (Globe, Feb. 22), her insinuation that I have brain damage is misplaced.
I have simply read all the available data of any change in use rates of marijuana, availability of marijuana, or adolescents’ perception of drug use in regard to a change in the law. The answer is clear and overwhelming; there is not a connection.
As I said in my last letter, all we have to do is look to the experience of 12 other states that eliminated criminal penalties for simple possession, most of them 30 years ago. In none of those states was there any increase in use attributable to the reform. If that were not so, those states would have repealed their reform laws long ago.
Also, people who want to use marijuana are already using it, and there is no reason to believe that lessening penalties for possession of a small amount of marijuana would make those people more likely to drive under the influence.
We are extremely opposed to any person who drives while intoxicated, and we think they should be strictly punished if they do. By freeing up law enforcement resources now wasted arresting and prosecuting adults who are possessing small amounts of marijuana, this initiative will allow police to pursue real crimes, like keeping intoxicated drivers off the roadways.
Kelly Maddy
Campaign director of Sensible Joplin
Opinion
Voices: Not a connection
- Opinion
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Our View: Victims should come first
Millions of dollars in donations have poured in from around the world since the May 22, 2011, tornado. Those donations represent money from lemonade stands, charity auctions, corporate gifts and celebrity checks, just to name a few. In fact, one year later donations continue to come to Joplin.
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Beth Meeker, guest columnist: Same-sex marriage battle a quest for equal rights
I would like to take a moment to reply to guest columnist Anson Burlingame’s, “The Marriage Debate” (Globe, May 13).
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Sunday Forum: 2012 graduation speakers key on tornado, mall school and president’s visit
Editor’s note: In addition to speeches by President Barack Obama and Gov. Jay Nixon, Joplin High School’s top students addressed graduates, faculty, parents and other guests packed into the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center on the Missouri Southern State University campus. Following are the text of those speeches.
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Geoff Caldwell, guest columnist: Pack mentality takes truth as a casualty
President Obama’s Joplin graduation speech Monday showed that while there’s the political “right,” there’s also a very active “rabid” political right.
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Your View: ‘Study’ can mean anything
A few evenings ago, I watched a television program on the science of marriage.
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Our View: Support for museum
How can you tell the story of Joplin without the accounts of its mining history?
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Our View: Finding middle ground
The G-8 summit held last week in Camp David ended as expected.
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Anson Burlingame, guest columnist: Class of 2012 upholds character, hope
My oldest granddaughter was part of the class of 2012 from Joplin High School, and I attended the ceremony on Monday night.
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Scott Charton, guest columnist: 'Deadline in Disaster' film a story about storytellers
Local newspapers are at their best when they help their communities confront, understand, endure and overcome shared challenges.
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Our View: Make voting easiser
This year’s ballot will not include a proposed constitutional amendment that photo identification be required at the polls in Missouri. Good.
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Our View: Victims should come first
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