Advertisement

Monday's letters: Pot legalization should be next step

 
Published Oct. 24, 2014

Amendment 2

Decriminalize use of marijuana

No matter how opposed you are to the wording of Amendment 2 — marijuana as medicine — or its use in general, can anyone justify criminalizing and jailing people for personal consumption the way we have been for years? What is the benefit of turning productive and otherwise law-abiding citizens into felons?

Marijuana has been safely used for centuries by cultures around the world, for medicine, recreation and even religious reasons. It is no more of a gateway drug than cigarettes or alcohol, and unlike the latter two, is not physically addictive.

With the advent of vaporizing, the harm from smoke inhalation is easily avoided, leaving the legal fallout of getting busted as by far the biggest danger of responsible use. The current inane laws unnecessarily burden law enforcement and lead to overcrowded prisons, undermining the legal system at great expense.

That using marijuana is such a crime is a crime in itself.

Whether Amendment 2 passes or fails, decriminalizing pot — be it for medicinal purposes, religious ceremony, or simply getting stoned — should be the next step going forward.

Chip Thomas, Tampa

Amendment 1

Protect Florida's resources

The St. Petersburg area is one of the most beautiful places in the nation. We have been blessed with abundant waterways, rivers, estuaries and natural lands, which many of us enjoy on a daily basis.

These natural areas protect our drinking water and play a major role in ensuring that what comes out of the faucet is clean and free of contaminants.

Unfortunately, many Florida waterways and springs are choked with pollution. That's why we need to make protecting these resources a top priority. Amendment 1 — Florida's Water and Land Conservation Amendment — does exactly that, without raising taxes.

How it does this is really quite simple. By dedicating the existing fees collected by the state when real estate is sold, this amendment will fund water and land conservation, restoration and management, all of which will have a huge, positive impact on our state's irreplaceable resources.

As mayor of St. Petersburg, I recognize that our city's future rests in the hands of our children and young adults. I know this amendment will continue to pay dividends well into their future, in the form of beautiful beaches, clean rivers, natural springs and clear drinking water.

That's a legacy I look forward to leaving for our young people, including my own children.

We owe it to our children and grandchildren to protect Florida's water quality, natural areas and wildlife, so future generations can enjoy them the same way we do.

And the fact that we can do all of this without having to raise new taxes makes the choice clear: Vote yes on Amendment 1.

Rick Kriseman, mayor, St. Petersburg

Animosity oozes with distortions | Oct. 22

Looking for a third option

After watching the last two debates, it's clear that we have two very different options. In one corner is an incumbent who is either unwilling or unable to tell voters what he really thinks. In the other corner is a former governor who is more than happy to tell us what he thinks but is also just as willing to later change his mind when it becomes politically expedient. Makes you wish the Libertarian candidate was allowed to participate.

Scott Stolz, Tarpon Springs

Candidate contrast

Adam Smith wrote that the "bickering likely left some viewers disappointed." Did he watch the same debate I did? I thought it was the best one yet. Charlie Crist was clear and direct and on the offensive on important issues, while Gov. Rick Scott was stammering, stumbling, evasive and at times incoherent.

Dale E. Sena, Tampa

Lost art of debating

Charlie Crist and Rick Scott should have performed Irving Berlin's duet, Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better from Annie Get Your Gun. It would have been just as informative, of better quality, of much shorter duration and a considerable financial savings that could have been better used to support charities in Florida.

Where has the "art" of debate gone? It was certainly not in evidence during their most recent debate.

E. Allen Schultz, St. Petersburg

For rich ne'er-do-wells, a land of opportunity Oct. 22, commentary

Hurdles to equality

Matt O'Brien accurately describes the inequities that prevail in our culture between the children of wealth and those of us who did not "wisely choose our parents."

Achieving a more meritocratic society is difficult. But the Republican push for eliminating inheritance taxes and reducing capital gain taxes certainly moves in the opposite direction.

Donald Barnhill, Trinity