ADULTS HAVE RIGHT TO PICK WHAT GOES IN THEIR BODIES

I was appalled by the ignorance in "U.S. not ready to puff the magic
dragon" (CT, Nov. 4). First, comparing marijuana to heroin and other
drugs is an unfair analogy. Heroin and other "hard drugs" are
addictive, destroy lives and can also lead to death by overdose. Pot
is none of these. Calling it a "gateway drug" is not completely true
- -- other factors like the individual's environment, history,
personality and even friends are also responsible for the "gateway
effect" that many skeptics hide behind.

Just because marijuana is legal in Denver doesn't mean all hell will
break loose, and the author should be ashamed for implying so. When a
substance is made illegal, a black market is created for it. Look at
prohibition: In the early 1900s, bootleggers supplied overpriced
alcohol and contributed to a rise in organized crime. There were
sides for and against prohibition, but our government wanted to give
the people who drank responsibly a chance to do so without being
punished. Why should marijuana be any different?

We should accept that not everyone agrees with smoking marijuana, but
if those who choose to are responsible and not harming anyone, then
what is the problem? We should legalize marijuana with limitations
similar to alcohol (age requirement, consumption limit when driving,
etc.). It should be sold in controlled locations -- eliminating the
black market surrounding its current state.

There will be people who speculate marijuana's adverse effects, but
let's face it: what someone puts in their own body is their business,
and nobody else's, unless others are directly threatened (but that's
what the limitations are for). We need to recognize everyone's
personal freedoms and liberties, and not to tell people how to live
their own lives just because we disagree.