I need some homework help- report on weed

Dear Mr. Whitehill,

Thank you for your recent communication concerning the legalization of marijuana. I appreciate hearing from you on this subject.

H.R. 5843, the Act to Remove Federal Penalties for the Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults, would eliminate federal penalties for the possession and distribution of small amounts of marijuana. This bill would also eliminate federal penalties prohibiting the personal use and possession of up to 3.5 ounces of marijuana, and allow the transfers of up to one ounce of marijuana provided no profit was earned.

I have long opposed any move to legalize drugs. I believe the legalization of drugs would jeopardize the health of our citizens, most notably our children. Those drugs that are currently illegal have been made so because they pose serious, often fatal, health risks to the user, and drug users themselves often pose serious risks to society. It is my fear that the proponents of drug legalization have latched on to the marijuana-as-medicine argument in order to further their own decriminalization agenda. If they were truly concerned about the health of chronically ill patients, they would encourage the use of legal medication that contains synthetic forms of the supposedly beneficial components of marijuana. They have not done this; so all the talk about suffering patients is nothing more than a red herring.

Decriminalization is not a universal remedy for solving all of the problems related to drug use. Statistics have shown that once something is legalized, more people have access to it, and more will use it. It is safe to say the same thing would occur once marijuana is legalized.

As marijuana use rises with legalization, so would the increased costs of health care and lost productivity. Marijuana is hardly a harmless substance. At best, it is a plant, which is smoked in a filterless manner, which is detrimental for the lungs. At worst, it remains a relatively unknown substance. Prolonged use of marijuana has been shown to cause memory loss and other negative cognitive side effects and reduce coordination and communication skills. Finally, it is addictive, and has been known as a "gateway drug," which leads users to "harder" substances.

Finally, despite the fact that state law in California and Arizona permit "medicinal" use of marijuana, such practice remains a violation of federal law. Moreover, there is conclusive evidence that links drug cartels and suppliers to international organized terrorism, even in the marijuana market. For these reasons, federal law enforcement activity in the interdiction and seizure of marijuana is not only a proper use of police resources, it is entirely appropriate given the current state of affairs, in which we live.

Once again, thank you for expressing your views on this issue. If you haven't already, I would encourage you to sign up for my e-newsletter athttp://donyoung.house.gov/IMA/issue_subscribe.htm and my YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=RepDonYoung. Doing so will allow me to provide you with updates on this and other important issues. If I can be of any assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to contact me.