Twenty years ago, I nearly lost a family member to marijuana. He is one of the 2-3 percent of the population who are hyper-reactive to pot and his habitual use in college reduced him over time to a near-vegetative state. Had he continued to smoke, he would have likely remained permanently psychotic. Fortunately, he sought treatment before he fell into that abyss.

In spite of my family member’s harrowing experience, I am firmly convinced that the time has come to decriminalize marijuana. Though there are real dangers to its use, I believe that the prohibition of marijuana is self-defeating. My relative abused it because it was illegal. He was rebelling. What’s worse, he didn’t seek treatment until it was almost too late, because he didn’t want to admit that he’d been breaking the law.

How many people have not sought help when they need it most because we have made them criminals? Prohibition of marijuana today is just as stupid as prohibition of alcohol was 80 years ago. I therefore urge our representatives to vote for the current bill to decriminalize marijuana before the New Hampshire General Court.

Nate Jensen

Amherst

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