Pot legalization endangers future generations

Legalization of cannabis, for whatever reason, would cripple the next and future generations. Pot-smoking by adolescents has now been documented, in the American Journal of Psychiatry [Oct 2018], to permanently impair adolescents' thinking and learning abilities, reading comprehension, verbal and math skills, problem-solving, and ability to stop or change harmful habitual behaviors. It results in lifelong brain damage.

Though alcohol is legal only for adults over 21, as everyone knows it is abused by teens who think it's "cool" and "fun" to "party." Some teens currently use pot despite its being illegal. Whatever age restrictions might be put on the legal use of cannabis, it will still send the message to teens that it's legal. Therefore, many more teens will then use it. Once that "genie" is "out of the bottle," there will be no "putting it back" - just as with the alcohol problem.

Contrary to researchers' expectation when they began the research, they found pot has more devastating consequences than alcohol.

Teen brains have not matured enough to think about the possible consequences of behaviors before engaging in them. Even occasional recreational use of marijuana would interfere with the development of that mental capability. THC, the active ingredient in pot, remains in the body's fat cells. Its metabolism and release over time continues to hinder the person's learning and development. Thus, there is no "zero risk" when it comes to pot, for the recreational or the habitual user.

As an educational and clinical psychologist, I urge readers to contact their state senator and representative to urge them to vote against, and to encourage other representatives to vote against, the legalization of cannabis for recreational use.

Jean M. Alberti

Glen Ellyn