Pot legalization bad for Illinois

Even before Illinois' Medical Cannabis Pilot Program is up and operating, legislation was introduced by state Sen. Michael Noland, an Elgin Democrat, and state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Chicago Democrat, in their attempts to dismantle drug laws.

Noland's proposal would legalize the possession of 30 grams of marijuana, enough to make 75 joints with a street value per gram of $10. The five-plant proposed allowance can yield 1,120 grams of marijuana.

This is enough to make 2,800 joints with a street value of approximately $11,200.

Unfortunately the legalization advocates are winning the debate as they are better organized and well-funded. Moreover, the public is not being sufficiently informed about the harm of marijuana.

It is not well known that the marijuana of today is stronger today than the pot smoked in the 1970s. It's certainly not your grandfather's pot! Tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive drug in marijuana, has risen from 5 percent to an average of 13 percent as part of marijuana.

If legalization of pot comes to fruition here in Illinois, this state would likely follow Colorado's outcome with an increase in crime, hospitalizations, car accidents and deaths.

Marijuana use leads to greater cognitive deficits, lower IQs, loss of fine motor skills, a suppressed immune system, apathy, drowsiness, lack of motivation, sensory distortion, mental illness and anxiety.

Will the disturbing outcome of Colorado's marijuana legalization slow down the push to legalize marijuana here in Illinois beyond that of medicinal use, or will legislators, perceiving that pot is big business, tempt them to throw all caution to the wind and allow the promise of future tax revenue to supersede all else?

Shouldn't drug policy be based on hard science and reliable date? Call your state representatives and senators and ask them to vote NO to SB 753 and HB 218.

Nancy J. Thorner

Lake Bluff