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Like Mike Massey pointed out, almost every answer was “he’s too controlling.” I didn’t look at all the answers but I’m surprised I didn’t see him labeled a narcissist which has become the excuse for any disagreements between couples from so many internet advice giving gurus, “What! Your partner is asking you to stop spending so much money? Narcissist behavior. They want you to get a job and contribute to the household? Yep, that’s a typical narcissistic trait. What! They don’t want you to have sex with other people! Narc! Run for your life before it’s too late!”He may be controlling, but then again maybe it is about her safety or for a few other reasons;She may already have a drinking or drug problem.She may not but some of her friends may have severe problems with alcohol or drugs which could put her in danger of getting in an accident or with the law.Some of her friends may not have the best morals and their actions could put her in danger.But rather than just giving you maybe’s I’ll give you a few personal experiences. When I was in my early 20’s I was in a relationship with a woman that was and still is to this day one of the most beautiful women I have ever known, and I don’t just mean physically; her personality was about as perfect as anyone you would ever meet. We fit completely. However she developed a liking for a certain mind altering substance that changed that. She didn’t become wild, crazy and out of control on it, rather she became a total zombie when she used this substance. I could tell when she was on it because she would become a statue standing in the corner or sitting somewhere for hours. She couldn’t talk, wouldn’t even recognize me or understand anything I was saying.The first few times when she finally came down she would ask me in a worried voice, “What happened?” I would tell her nothing but suggested she not do that shit anymore, but for some reason she liked it and it got pretty common for me to see halfway through the night she had scored. As I mentioned she was quite beautiful which meant not only were other guys eyeing her up but in a condition like that she could have had six cats pull a train on her and she wouldn’t even know. That meant OUR night of socializing went to me having to keep an eye on her for her own safety.Eventually we broke up and went our separate ways. Not long after she called me and wanted to meet. She had a look on her face that told me something bad had happened. She didn’t say what but she said she was going to quit that shit (I think she got tuned-up and raped by a few guys) and we should try again. But we never did for a few other reasons. However as the years went on I learned she developed quite a drinking habit and in fact got pinched for DUI with a blood alcohol level so high she should have been clinically dead, and she had her two kids in the car. Talking to a mutual friend, she said her husband was such a prick her wouldn’t let her go out with the girls for a few drinks. Gee, I don’t know why. Eventually she did get clean and I am happy for herAnother woman I was involved with was not a wild partier; she would partake but not over-indulge. While she wasn’t bad you couldn’t say the same for a few of her girlfriends. They would be racing from bar to bar tuned up on numerous chemical concoctions and all it would take is to get pulled over with smoke billowing out of the windows and just one of them squirming around like they were sitting on a fire ant nest and everybody was going to jail. It never happened but I spent a fair number of nights waiting for that, “come bail me out” phone call.Another that I was starting to get involved with had a friend that sported a few problems. For one she was an alcoholic, and I don’t mean a social drinker with the occasional problem. She was tipping them pretty strong all week long for maintenance but on the weekend she would pull the cork and throw it away because she wasn’t stopping until it was all gone. She also had the morals of an alley cat. I’m not a prude by any stretch of the imagination but this woman wasn’t just suckin and fuckin any swinging dick that paid attention to her, she would go out to bars looking for guys that were obviously hammered (she wasn’t all that attractive) and haul his ass back to her place, and it didn’t matter if he was married or involved with someone, she went for it.Naturally she wanted a running partner so when she realized that her “friend” wanted to spend more time with me than her she tried putting the brakes on that Johnny Pronto and started really pulling some shit. She would call before I got done with work and needed her for some emergency. Of course as soon as she walked in the door a beer would be put in her hand, then another, then another and before you know it they were both on their way down the whiskey highway. Then she would launch into what a prick I was, how she shouldn’t tie herself down to one guy, and “lets go to the bar for a few.” With a high blood alcohol content that shit makes a lot of sense it wasn’t long before I caught her in a compromising position.I didn’t get mad or start yelling, I basically said we just talked about being exclusive but apparently the dictionary you are reading from is way different than mine so if you want to jock other guys I’ll be on my way. Then came the ungodly loud crying and tears and, “It’s not my fault! She got me drunk! You weren’t here (I was working), I’ll never do it again! Please don’t leave me!” I should have taken a cue from that, blaming other people for her own actions because a few weeks later almost the same thing happened and again it wasn’t her fault, it was everybody else’s and me like a chump fell for it. I will say that behavior stopped but it manifested itself in other forms. As I learned more about the human psyche and why we often react to situations the way we do I understand now part of the reason why I stuck around as long as I did, but I won’t go into that.Don’t get me wrong, maybe this guy is a controlling manipulative prick and if that is the case time to hit the bricks honey because chances are good it is only going to get worse. But then again it MAY be for one or more of the reasons above, but for those of us offering ADVICE until you hear both sides of the story I wouldn’t rush to judgment.

Yes we do oppose the legalization of marijuana. The sales of illegal or legal drugs do not pay cops salaries. Taxes from legitimate sources pay for public safety salaries.The people funding the legalization efforts are misleading the citizens of this country. While pro-pot advocates extol the healing powers of marijuana, that fact is, it can provide relief, but it doesn't heal anything. Its not a medicine. Colin Powell, Retired US General, has agreed with the US Law Enforcement and participated in congressional meetings in response to legalization efforts. He and the National Narcotic Officer's Association Coalition (NNOAC) have shared the following information with our country's lawmakers:THC, the active psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, has increased from less than 3 percent in the mid 1970's to over 10% today on the average, and as high as the mid 30%s. The result? Over 100,000 emergency room vista a year where marijuana was the only cause, and 300,000 where it was a cause. More kids are in rehab for for MJ than all other drugs combined. Clearly this is not your parent's pot.Marijuana effects the brain's cognitive functions and the ability to learn and retain information. Marijuana diminishes ones capacity to absorb and retain information, contributes to depression, suicide, psychosis, addiction and leads many young people to a life of crime and corruption.Nationally, nearly one in three U.S. high school students, 1.2 million, fails to graduate with a diploma. Among minority students the problem is even more severe with nearly 50 percent of African American and Hispanic students not completing high school on time. UC Santa Barbara recently conducted a study that showed in California the high school dropout rate averaged 24.2%, at a cost to taxpayers of $46.4 billion …. $392,000 per dropout. Cutting the drop out rate even in half in California would potentially solve the State’s budget problem. If the average holds true nationally, the cost to American taxpayers is approximately $470 billion a year.The UC Santa Barbara study revealed also that 80% of prison inmates in California are high school dropouts. The $8 billion prison overcrowding problem in California is largely related to the lack of academic achievement and jobs for unskilled workers, forcing them to crime. The situation will get worse without corrective action. And believe when I tell you that none of those in prison are they for simple marijuana possession. It is impossible to be incarcerated for simple possession of MJ. Those people earned their cells by committing other crimes that may have included MJ possession at the time of their arrests.Albert Stuart Reece of the Medical School, U of Queensland, reported that marijuana causes impaired respiratory conditions including reduced lung density, lung cysts, and chronic bronchitis. Elevated risk of testicular cancer and eightfold rise in lung cancer risk. Elevated risk of psychosis and schizophrenia, particularly when cannabis consumption commences at an early age. High levels of anxiety, impaired memory, poor concentration, impaired learning ability and psychomotor impairment including reduced quality and quantity of work and intellectual impairment. Heavy cannabis use is associated with substantial bone loss.Maternal cannabis use has resulted in toxic affects on the fetus leading to reduced body weight at birth, and behavior problems including attention disorder, behavior problems, lower child IQ, language comprehension, distractibility, inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity and substance use disorders.Laboratory tests conducted by the FDA have revealed pesticide levels hundreds of times the accepted levels. Marijuana sold as “medicine” are not labeled, as are legitimate, legal drugs, so there is no way of knowing what one is getting.Since many pot users are unemployed and on welfare, or underemployed and don’t have health insurance, the economic burden of health care for most people who smoke marijuana falls on taxpayers. Currently, for everyone one person who smokes pot, ten people abuse alcohol, at great cost to society. If marijuana were legalized, the public health problem and associated costs would skyrocket.I spent the last 34 years of my fighting organized crime and those individuals who have targeted our weak and our youth. I've witnessed first hand the damage caused by illegal drug use. Lives of misery, lost opportunities, lack of education or training, families injured by the user of drugs. Those who have been arrested for using or possessing heroin, PCP, cocaine and methamphetamine have one basic thing in common. They all started with marijuana.I don't want you to only hear what I have to say from my personal experience in drug enforcement. I want to include more information gathered by much wiser individuals and organizations. Here are some more very interesting facts about marijuana and references to the actual people and publications that reported the research:Exposing the Myth of Medical MarijuanaMarijuana: The FactsQ: Does marijuana pose health risks to users?Marijuana is an addictive drug1 with significant health consequences to its users and others. Many harmful short-term and long-term problems have been documented with its use.The short term effects of marijuana use include: memory loss, distorted perception, trouble with thinking and problem solving, loss of motor skills, decrease in muscle strength, increased heart rate, and anxiety2.In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of emergency room mentions of marijuana use. From 1993-2000, the number of emergency room marijuana mentions more than tripled.There are also many long-term health consequences of marijuana use. According to the National Institutes of Health, studies show that someone who smokes five joints per week may be taking in as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day.Marijuana contains more than 400 chemicals, including most of the harmful substances found in tobacco smoke. Smoking one marijuana cigarette deposits about four times more tar into the lungs than a filtered tobacco cigarette.Harvard University researchers report that the risk of a heart attack is five times higher than usual in the hour after smoking marijuana.3Smoking marijuana also weakens the immune system4 and raises the risk of lung infections.5 A Columbia University study found that a control group smoking a single marijuana cigarette every other day for a year had a white-blood-cell count that was 39 percent lower than normal, thus damaging the immune system and making the user far more susceptible to infection and sickness.6Users can become dependent on marijuana to the point they must seek treatment to stop abusing it. In 1999, more than 200,000 Americans entered substance abuse treatment primarily for marijuana abuse and dependence.More teens are in treatment for marijuana use than for any other drug or for alcohol. Adolescent admissions to substance abuse facilities for marijuana grew from 43 percent of all adolescent admissions in 1994 to 60 percent in 1999.Marijuana is much stronger now than it was decades ago. According to data from the Potency Monitoring Project at the University of Mississippi, the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of commercial-grade marijuana rose from an average of 3.71 percent in 1985 to an average of 5.57 percent in 1998. The average THC content of U.S. produced sinsemilla increased from 3.2 percent in 1977 to 12.8 percent in 1997.7Q. Does marijuana have any medical value?Any determination of a drug's valid medical use must be based on the best available science undertaken by medical professionals. The Institute of Medicine conducted a comprehensive study in 1999 to assess the potential health benefits of marijuana and its constituent cannabinoids. The study concluded that smoking marijuana is not recommended for the treatment of any disease condition. In addition, there are more effective medications currently available. For those reasons, the Institute of Medicine concluded that there is little future in smoked marijuana as a medically approved medication.8Advocates have promoted the use of marijuana to treat medical conditions such as glaucoma. However, this is a good example of more effective medicines already available. According to the Institute of Medicine, there are six classes of drugs and multiple surgical techniques that are available to treat glaucoma that effectively slow the progression of this disease by reducing high intraocular pressure.In other studies, smoked marijuana has been shown to cause a variety of health problems, including cancer, respiratory problems, increased heart rate, loss of motor skills, and increased heart rate. Furthermore, marijuana can affect the immune system by impairing the ability of T-cells to fight off infections, demonstrating that marijuana can do more harm than good in people with already compromised immune systems.9In addition, in a recent study by the Mayo Clinic, THC was shown to be less effective than standard treatments in helping cancer patients regain lost appetites.10The American Medical Association recommended that marijuana remain a Schedule I controlled substance.The DEA supports research into the safety and efficacy of THC (the major psychoactive component of marijuana), and such studies are ongoing, supported by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.As a result of such research, a synthetic THC drug, Marinol, has been available to the public since 1985. The Food and Drug Administration has determined that Marinol is safe, effective, and has therapeutic benefits for use as a treatment for nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy, and as a treatment of weight loss in patients with AIDS. However, it does not produce the harmful health effects associated with smoking marijuana.Furthermore, the DEA approved the University of California San Diego to undertake rigorous scientific studies to assess the safety and efficacy of cannabis compounds for treating certain debilitating medical conditions.It's also important to realize that the campaign to allow marijuana to be used as medicine is a tactical maneuver in an overall strategy to completely legalize all drugs. Pro-legalization groups have transformed the debate from decriminalizing drug use to one of compassion and care for people with serious diseases. The New York Times interviewed Ethan Nadelman, Director of the Lindesmith Center, in January 2000. Responding to criticism from former Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey that the medical marijuana issue is a stalking-horse for drug legalization, Mr. Nadelman did not contradict General McCaffrey. "Will it help lead toward marijuana legaization?" Mr. Nadelman said: "I hope so."Q. Does marijuana harm anyone besides the individual who smokes it?Consider the public safety of others when confronted with intoxicated drug users:Marijuana affects many skills required for safe driving: alertness, the ability to concentrate, coordination, and reaction time. These effects can last up to 24 hours after smoking marijuana. Marijuana use can make it difficult to judge distances and react to signals and signs on the road.11In a 1990 report, the National Transportation Safety Board studied 182 fatal truck accidents. It found that just as many of the accidents were caused by drivers using marijuana as were caused by alcohol -- 12.5 percent in each case.Consider also that drug use, including marijuana, contributes to crime. A large percentage of those arrested for crimes test positive for marijuana. Nationwide, 40 percent of adult males tested positive for marijuana at the time of their arrest.Q. Is marijuana a gateway drug?Yes. Among marijuana's most harmful consequences is its role in leading to the use of other illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine. Long-term studies of students who use drugs show that very few young people use other illegal drugs without first trying marijuana. While not all people who use marijuana go on to use other drugs, using marijuana sometimes lowers inhibitions about drug use and exposes users to a culture that encourages use of other drugs.The risk of using cocaine has been estimated to be more than 104 times greater for those who have tried marijuana than for those who have never tried it.12In Summary:Marijuana is a dangerous, addictive drug that poses significant health threats to users.Marijuana has no medical value that can't be met more effectively by legal drugs.Marijuana users are far more likely to use other drugs like cocaine and heroin than non-marijuana users.Drug legalizers use "medical marijuana" as red herring in effort to advocate broader legalization of drug use.http://...1Herbert Kleber, Mitchell Rosenthal, "Drug Myths from Abroad: Leniency is Dangerous, not Compassionate" Foreign Affairs Magazine, September/October 1998. Drug Watch International "NIDA Director cites Studies that Marijuana is Addictive." "Research Finds Marijuana is Addictive," Washington Times, July 24, 1995.http://...2National Institue of Drug Abuse, Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of Clinical Phamacology, International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Pharmacology Review.http://...3"Marijuana and Heart Attacks" Washington Post, March 3, 2000http://...4I. B. Adams and BR Martin, "Cannabis: Pharmacology and Toxicology in Animals and Humans" Addiction 91: 1585-1614. 1996.http://...5National Institute of Drug Abuse, "Smoking Any Substance Raises Risk of Lung Infections" NIDA Notes, Volume 12, Number 1, January/February 1997.http://...6Dr. James Dobson, "Marijuana Can Cause Great Harm" Washington Times, February 23, 1999.http://...72000 National Drug Control Strategy Annual Report, page 13.http://...8"Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base," Institute of Medicine, 1999.http://...9See footnotes in response to question 4 regarding marijuana's short and long term health effects.http://...10"Marijuana Appetite Boost Lacking in Cancer Study" The New York Times, May 13, 2001.http://...11Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health.http://...12Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health.Why risk the future of this country, and our children, by giving them access to another damaging drug? They already have a number of difficult decisions to make and temptations to resist.

We we do oppose the legalization of marijuana. I spent the last 34 years of my life fighting organized crime and those individuals who have targeted our weak and our youth. I've witnessed first hand the damage caused by illegal drug use. Lives of misery, lost opportunities, lack of education or training, families injured by the users of drugs. Those who have been arrested for using or possessing heroin, PCP, cocaine and methamphetamine have one basic thing in common. They all started with marijuana. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but also to the facts and the myths of marijuana.I don't want you to only hear what I have to say from my personal experience in drug enforcement. I want to include more information gathered by much wiser individuals and organizations. Here are some more very interesting facts about marijuana and references to the actual people and publications that reported the research:.The people funding the legalization efforts are misleading the citizens of this country. While pro-pot advocates extol the healing powers of marijuana, that fact is, it can provide relief, but it doesn't heal anything. Its not a medicine. Colin Powell, Retired US General, has agreed with the US Law Enforcement and participated in congressional meetings in response to legalization efforts. He and the National Narcotic Officer's Association Coalition (NNOAC) have shared the following information with our country's lawmakers:THC, the active psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, has increased from less than 3 percent in the mid 1970's to over 10% today on the average, and as high as the mid 30%s. The result? Over 100,000 emergency room vists a year where marijuana was the only cause, and 300,000 where it was a cause. More kids are in rehab for for MJ than all other drugs combined. Clearly this is not your parent's pot.Marijuana effects the brain's cognitive functions and the ability to learn and retain information. Marijuana diminishes ones capacity to absorb and retain information, contributes to depression, suicide, psychosis, addiction and leads many young people to a life of crime and corruption.Nationally, nearly one in three U.S. high school students, 1.2 million, fails to graduate with a diploma. Among minority students the problem is even more severe with nearly 50 percent of African American and Hispanic students not completing high school on time. UC Santa Barbara recently conducted a study that showed in California the high school dropout rate averaged 24.2%, at a cost to taxpayers of $46.4 billion …. $392,000 per dropout. Cutting the drop out rate even in half in California would potentially solve the State’s budget problem. If the average holds true nationally, the cost to American taxpayers is approximately $470 billion a year.The UC Santa Barbara study revealed also that 80% of prison inmates in California are high school dropouts. The $8 billion prison overcrowding problem in California is largely related to the lack of academic achievement and jobs for unskilled workers, forcing them to crime. The situation will get worse without corrective action. And believe when I tell you that none of those in prison are they for simple marijuana possession. It is impossible to be incarcerated for simple possession of MJ. Those people earned their cells by committing other crimes that may have included MJ possession at the time of their arrests.Albert Stuart Reece of the Medical School, U of Queensland, reported that marijuana causes impaired respiratory conditions including reduced lung density, lung cysts, and chronic bronchitis. Elevated risk of testicular cancer and eightfold rise in lung cancer risk. Elevated risk of psychosis and schizophrenia, particularly when cannabis consumption commences at an early age. High levels of anxiety, impaired memory, poor concentration, impaired learning ability and psychomotor impairment including reduced quality and quantity of work and intellectual impairment. Heavy cannabis use is associated with substantial bone loss.Maternal cannabis use has resulted in toxic affects on the fetus leading to reduced body weight at birth, and behavior problems including attention disorder, behavior problems, lower child IQ, language comprehension, distractibility, inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity and substance use disorders.Laboratory tests conducted by the FDA have revealed pesticide levels hundreds of times the accepted levels. Marijuana sold as “medicine” are not labeled, as are legitimate, legal drugs, so there is no way of knowing what one is getting.Since many pot users are unemployed and on welfare, or underemployed and don’t have health insurance, the economic burden of health care for most people who smoke marijuana falls on taxpayers. Currently, for everyone one person who smokes pot, ten people abuse alcohol, at great cost to society. If marijuana were legalized, the public health problem and associated costs would skyrocket.Exposing the Myth of Medical MarijuanaMarijuana: The FactsQ: Does marijuana pose health risks to users?Marijuana is an addictive drug1 with significant health consequences to its users and others. Many harmful short-term and long-term problems have been documented with its use.The short term effects of marijuana use include: memory loss, distorted perception, trouble with thinking and problem solving, loss of motor skills, decrease in muscle strength, increased heart rate, and anxiety2.In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of emergency room mentions of marijuana use. From 1993-2000, the number of emergency room marijuana mentions more than tripled.There are also many long-term health consequences of marijuana use. According to the National Institutes of Health, studies show that someone who smokes five joints per week may be taking in as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day.Marijuana contains more than 400 chemicals, including most of the harmful substances found in tobacco smoke. Smoking one marijuana cigarette deposits about four times more tar into the lungs than a filtered tobacco cigarette.Harvard University researchers report that the risk of a heart attack is five times higher than usual in the hour after smoking marijuana.3Smoking marijuana also weakens the immune system4 and raises the risk of lung infections.5 A Columbia University study found that a control group smoking a single marijuana cigarette every other day for a year had a white-blood-cell count that was 39 percent lower than normal, thus damaging the immune system and making the user far more susceptible to infection and sickness.6Users can become dependent on marijuana to the point they must seek treatment to stop abusing it. In 1999, more than 200,000 Americans entered substance abuse treatment primarily for marijuana abuse and dependence.More teens are in treatment for marijuana use than for any other drug or for alcohol. Adolescent admissions to substance abuse facilities for marijuana grew from 43 percent of all adolescent admissions in 1994 to 60 percent in 1999.Marijuana is much stronger now than it was decades ago. According to data from the Potency Monitoring Project at the University of Mississippi, the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of commercial-grade marijuana rose from an average of 3.71 percent in 1985 to an average of 5.57 percent in 1998. The average THC content of U.S. produced sinsemilla increased from 3.2 percent in 1977 to 12.8 percent in 1997.7Q. Does marijuana have any medical value?Any determination of a drug's valid medical use must be based on the best available science undertaken by medical professionals. The Institute of Medicine conducted a comprehensive study in 1999 to assess the potential health benefits of marijuana and its constituent cannabinoids. The study concluded that smoking marijuana is not recommended for the treatment of anydisease condition. In addition, there are more effective medications currently available. For those reasons, the Institute of Medicine concluded that there is little future in smoked marijuana as a medically approved medication.8Advocates have promoted the use of marijuana to treat medical conditions such as glaucoma. However, this is a good example of more effective medicines already available. According to the Institute of Medicine, there are six classes of drugs and multiple surgical techniques that are available to treat glaucoma that effectively slow the progression of this disease by reducing high intraocular pressure.In other studies, smoked marijuana has been shown to cause a variety of health problems, including cancer, respiratory problems, increased heart rate, loss of motor skills, and increased heart rate. Furthermore, marijuana can affect the immune system by impairing the ability of T-cells to fight off infections, demonstrating that marijuana can do more harm than good in people with already compromised immune systems.9In addition, in a recent study by the Mayo Clinic, THC was shown to be less effective than standard treatments in helping cancer patients regain lost appetites.10The American Medical Association recommended that marijuana remain a Schedule I controlled substance.The DEA supports research into the safety and efficacy of THC (the major psychoactive component of marijuana), and such studies are ongoing, supported by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.As a result of such research, a synthetic THC drug, Marinol, has been available to the public since 1985. The Food and Drug Administration has determined that Marinol is safe, effective, and has therapeutic benefits for use as a treatment for nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy, and as a treatment of weight loss in patients with AIDS. However, it does not produce the harmful health effects associated with smoking marijuana.Furthermore, the DEA approved the University of California San Diego to undertake rigorous scientific studies to assess the safety and efficacy of cannabis compounds for treating certain debilitating medical conditions.It's also important to realize that the campaign to allow marijuana to be used as medicine is a tactical maneuver in an overall strategy to completely legalize all drugs. Pro-legalization groups have transformed the debate from decriminalizing drug use to one of compassion and care for people with serious diseases. The New York Times interviewed Ethan Nadelman, Director of the Lindesmith Center, in January 2000. Responding to criticism from former Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey that the medical marijuana issue is a stalking-horse for drug legalization, Mr. Nadelman did not contradict General McCaffrey. "Will it help lead toward marijuana legaization?" Mr. Nadelman said: "I hope so."Q. Does marijuana harm anyone besides the individual who smokes it?Consider the public safety of others when confronted with intoxicated drug users:Marijuana affects many skills required for safe driving: alertness, the ability to concentrate, coordination, and reaction time. These effects can last up to 24 hours after smoking marijuana. Marijuana use can make it difficult to judge distances and react to signals and signs on the road.11In a 1990 report, the National Transportation Safety Board studied 182 fatal truck accidents. It found that just as many of the accidents were caused by drivers using marijuana as were caused by alcohol -- 12.5 percent in each case.Consider also that drug use, including marijuana, contributes to crime. A large percentage of those arrested for crimes test positive for marijuana. Nationwide, 40 percent of adult males tested positive for marijuana at the time of their arrest.Q. Is marijuana a gateway drug?Yes. Among marijuana's most harmful consequences is its role in leading to the use of other illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine. Long-term studies of students who use drugs show that very few young people use other illegal drugs without first trying marijuana. While not all people who use marijuana go on to use other drugs, using marijuana sometimes lowers inhibitions about drug use and exposes users to a culture that encourages use of other drugs.The risk of using cocaine has been estimated to be more than 104 times greater for those who have tried marijuana than for those who have never tried it.12In Summary:Marijuana is a dangerous, addictive drug that poses significant health threats to users.Marijuana has no medical value that can't be met more effectively by legal drugs.Marijuana users are far more likely to use other drugs like cocaine and heroin than non-marijuana users.Drug legalizers use "medical marijuana" as red herring in effort to advocate broader legalization of drug use.http://...1Herbert Kleber, Mitchell Rosenthal, "Drug Myths from Abroad: Leniency is Dangerous, not Compassionate" Foreign Affairs Magazine, September/October 1998. Drug Watch International "NIDA Director cites Studies that Marijuana is Addictive." "Research Finds Marijuana is Addictive," Washington Times, July 24, 1995.http://...2National Institue of Drug Abuse, Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of Clinical Phamacology, International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Pharmacology Review.http://...3"Marijuana and Heart Attacks" Washington Post, March 3, 2000http://...4I. B. Adams and BR Martin, "Cannabis: Pharmacology and Toxicology in Animals and Humans" Addiction 91: 1585-1614. 1996.http://...5National Institute of Drug Abuse, "Smoking Any Substance Raises Risk of Lung Infections" NIDA Notes, Volume 12, Number 1, January/February 1997.http://...6Dr. James Dobson, "Marijuana Can Cause Great Harm" Washington Times, February 23, 1999.http://...72000 National Drug Control Strategy Annual Report, page 13.http://...8"Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base," Institute of Medicine, 1999.http://...9See footnotes in response to question 4 regarding marijuana's short and long term health effects.http://...10"Marijuana Appetite Boost Lacking in Cancer Study" The New York Times, May 13, 2001.http://...11Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health.http://...12Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health.Why risk the future of this country, and our children, by giving them access to another damaging drug? They already have a number of difficult decisions to make and temptations to resist.