Troubling questions linger about pot

The Opinion feature of May 19 was a good start to reasonable debate on an issue I personally find troubling. Honestly, I don't know if a year of more debate will bring this to a conclusion, but I do find some comments troubling.

First, Sen. Holmes glossed over the gateway drug issue by saying "studies prove that people who try cannabis never move on to other drugs." In fact, the converse is true, people who become addicted to harder drugs almost always started on marijuana. Now that doesn't mean that it was the root cause, but certainly further screening would be needed.

Second, Rep. Moylan notes that current THC, the ingredient that creates the high is now 30 times stronger than previous cannabis versions and there is little data to support that long-term effect.

Third, and I find this more troubling, is Sen. Holmes' final comment that it would bring in $600 million in tax revenue. Let's be careful here. There will require a whole new state agency to test, audit and enforce rules which require a significant portion of this revenue.

So, I'll ask this question. If this were simply a break-even proposition, taxes in to pay for agency costs out, would she still support it. I doubt it. And that is what this all about, more taxes to pay for previous mismanagement of the state, putting future people at more risk.

Lastly, There is no current legal way to test a driver of a vehicle for being high on cannabis as opposed to with alcohol. This opens another wedge into how law enforcement can protect people on roads. This is a slippery slope. Just because other states want to get high, doesn't mean Illinois should.

Richard Francke

Bartlett