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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services, April 11 Central Point's Arbor Day project will provide shade along Mingus Creek Evans Creek dams on track for removal this summer Since You Asked: A mountainous question — Pitt or McLoughlin? Jury awards more than 200K in Rogue River dog-barking case, orders dogs debarked Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services, April 11 Jury awards more than 200K in Rogue River dog-barking case, orders dogs debarked Alleged subscription scammers may be violating state restraining order Central Point police pull attempted theft suspect from prickly hiding spot Emergency services Politics and Elections Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election Former state Senate President Brady Adams dies Arthur I. Cyr: Afghanistan progress is uneven but undeniable Jackson County Commissioners plan no tax on marijuana for one year Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Education Prepping before 9th grade Shumate says initiatives will require reserve spending Eagle Point school district violated union members' constitutional rights, federal judge says SOU celebrates Arbor Day early with awards and talks SOU student's play heads to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Environment Central Point's Arbor Day project will provide shade along Mingus Creek Evans Creek dams on track for removal this summer Nearly 400 steelhead die in Applegate fish-trap failure Forum looks at Crater Lake wilderness proposal A place to play State News Runners to follow historic salmon migration path Wyden lobbies for Pendleton research center funding Ex-Nike worker sentenced to probation in sneaker plot Oregon bill would make school vaccine rates available Google to expand data center, office in Oregon Nation - World Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Paul Inserra James Raymond (“Jimy”) Angel Peggy Gene Ritchie-Potter Anthony (Tony) Ray Hansen Ian Witter Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Ducks top OSU on bases-loaded walk in 9th Panthers claim first SWC triumph No verdict reached in Hernandez trial Duncan keys 10th straight win for Spurs Strong pitching gives SOU pivotal sweep Varsity 541 College Sports Ducks top OSU on bases-loaded walk in 9th Strong pitching gives SOU pivotal sweep Inspirational Hilll dies from tumor Ashland's Norvell first SOU women's wrestler Duke’s Okafor will enter the NBA draft Pro Sports No verdict reached in Hernandez trial Duncan keys 10th straight win for Spurs Talent principal Santi gets call from NFL Spieth makes Masters look like child's play Curry resets 3-point mark in win over Blazers Community Sports Business Latest Stories New bosses take charge at Harry & David Erickson shores up business with three contracts Ride & Drive: 2015 Ram ProMaster City Blog: Erickson signs construction, firefighting and logging deals, but investors remain a tough sell Dancin Vineyards covers up Real Estate News Jackson County median home price hits $215,000 in first quarter People In Business People in Business, March 26, 2015 Transportation Erickson shores up business with three contracts Lithia Motors shares break the $100 mark Road to health: Bike and pedestrian paths play greater role in transportation project funding Rogue Disposal plans natural gas fueling site Agriculture New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Broth maker leaves San Diego for Medford Opinion Latest Other Views: Keep Klamath water plan moving in Congress Our View: Emails contradict claims of Kitzhaber, Hayes Matthew T. Mangino: Shooting a fleeing suspect in the back Letters to the Editor, April 10 Guest Opinion: Conversion therapy on LGBT youth is child abuse Editorials Other Views: Keep Klamath water plan moving in Congress Our View: Emails contradict claims of Kitzhaber, Hayes Our View: All ethics reform bills should get a hearing Our View: Cheers and jeers Our View: No easy answers to Mexican refugee influx Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, April 10 Letters to the Editor, April 9 Letters to the Editor, April 8 Letters to the Editor, April 7 Letters to the Editor, April 6 Columns Matthew T. Mangino: Shooting a fleeing suspect in the back Guest Opinion: Conversion therapy on LGBT youth is child abuse Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election Kent Bush: Facebook isn’t going anywhere George Will: When everything is a crime Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Conversion therapy on LGBT youth is child abuse Guest Opinion: Pot opponents have good reason for concern Guest Opinion: If Courtney kills bill, $15 minimum wage will go to the ballot Guest Opinion: Phoenix embraces Bee City USA designation Guest Opinion: Marijuana offers Oregon benefits, drawbacks Lifestyle Latest stories Steelheaders use social media to auction off a driftboat Hanging out at Hanging Rock Community blog: U.S. dietary guidelines change little with the times Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Fishing Report: Friday, April 10 Food Community blog: U.S. dietary guidelines change little with the times Season Stepp: Try farmer’s market sunchoke in a creamy potato soup Page H. Onorato: Bringing spring to the dinner table Tammy Kelly: Asparagus is in season Power of 5 Home and Garden Garden Cameos: Good soil foundation of fabulous garden Ceramic tile: How it’s made and what’s new Dear Monty: How real estate relocation companies work Paul Rogers: Yard damage may not be as bad as it looks Home Help: 3 things to avoid when renovating your kitchen Health Health Watch: Combat common running and walking ailments Dr. Jeff Hersh: Distracted driving Dr. Murray Feingold: Keep laundry detergent packets away from kids Community blog: Fire Safety Your Mental Health: My husband denies he has PTSD Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Religion briefs: Friday, April 3 Religion briefs: Friday, March 27 Religion briefs Religion News: Presbyterian Church gives approval on same-sex marriage Milestones and Achievements New Arrivals: Sunday, April 12 Haga-Parks Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Five picks for entertainment this week The Brothers Reed celebrate new CD 'Sick as Folk' Live Music in Local Clubs Britt Festivals line-up kicks off June 6 Rhythm is on tap at the Northwest Percussion Festival Theater Oregon Cabaret Theatre's "The Musical!" delivers five clever Broadway parodies in Ashland OCT stages 'The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)' Auditions for youth musical set at Camelot Review: From past into present in OSF's 'Long Day's Journey' ‘A Dream of Red Pavilions’ at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Music The Brothers Reed celebrate new CD 'Sick as Folk' Britt Festivals line-up kicks off June 6 Rhythm is on tap at the Northwest Percussion Festival Gene Burnett tonight at Liquid Assets in Ashland The Farr Side: No Zayn Malik? One Direction stays the course Community Events Ashland Co-Dependent Film Festival 2015 Pear Blossom Festival kicks off in Medford Ashland Independent Film Festival announces 2015 lineup Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival MailTribune.com rolls out new calendar Dining La Tapatia offers authentically delicious cuisine RESTAURANT INSPECTIONS: Sunday, April 5 The Laughing Clam in Grants Pass offers seafood-heavy menu Standing Stone owners to open Medford brewpub and restaurant Restaurant Inspections: March 29 Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Runners to follow historic salmon migration path ... Jury awards more than 200K in Rogue River dog-barking case, orders dogs debarked ... Alleged subscription scammers may be violating state restraining order ... Runners to follow historic salmon migration path ... Jury awards more than 200K in Rogue River dog-barking case, orders dogs debarked ... Alleged subscription scammers may be violating state restraining order ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Pot opponents have good reason for concern By Dave Swaney MailTribune.com By Dave Swaney Posted Apr. 7, 2015 @ 2:00 am Updated Apr 7, 2015 at 9:46 AM By Dave Swaney Posted Apr. 7, 2015 @ 2:00 am Updated Apr 7, 2015 at 9:46 AM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Troubled about the marijuana laws that Oregon voters recently passed? You are not alone. "Going to Pot," a new book by authors William J. Bennett and Robert A. White, pushes back persuasively against arguments used by marijuana advocates to get the drug legalized here and in other states. As a former “recreational” pot smoker in the '60s and '70s, it caught my attention and I immediately suggested it to the Jackson County Library. I was the first person to borrow it when it arrived. Bennett should know his stuff. He was the government’s drug czar in the early '90s and Secretary of Education in the Reagan administration. White, an ex-assistant U.S. attorney, was in private legal practice in New Jersey for 40 years. The pro-weed arguments they take on in this book are significant, and they waste no time getting to what is arguably the main one — that the drug is harmless. Despite what President Obama has said, studies show that it is not less dangerous than alcohol, and in fact quite perilous — especially to the young. The authors back up their position with sources such as Psychology Today, the New York Times and a who’s who of scientific journals — for instance: Early marijuana use linked to I.Q. loss (New York Times). Potential for heart attack, stroke risk seen with marijuana use (Los Angeles Times). Longtime marijuana use linked with decreased motivation, study finds (Huffington Post). Marijuana users have abnormal brain structure and poor memory (Northwestern University Newscenter). Study finds regular marijuana use damages teenage brains (Psychology Today). Then there’s the argument that marijuana is medicinal. It’s not, with very few exceptions. Shockingly, statistics reveal that 9 out of 10 people requesting cards enabling them to buy it state “excruciating pain” as the reason they need it — a complaint difficult to diagnose. But without doubt its primary downside is that “medical marijuana” all too often ends up being used by kids. Another argument for the legalization of the drug is its success in other countries like the Netherlands. However, cannabis has never been legal there, but has been tolerated “to a point” since the 1970s. And recently the Dutch have been tightening up their tolerance and closing marijuana coffee shops due to problems with the drug. Other issues addressed by Bennett and White include the fallacies of raising taxes by allowing marijuana sales; the proven addictive nature of pot; regrets of American localities over their liberalization of marijuana; that pot is often a gateway to use of heroin and meth; and that legalizing it will deter the involvement of cartels and other unlawful marketers of pot. I also learned that today’s marijuana is not the same stuff that I stopped using 35 years ago. It is much stronger, due to a big increase in the THC content, as New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd found out when she experimented with cannabis candy last year: “The caramel-chocolate flavored candy bar looked so innocent, like the Sky Bars I used to love as a child. “Sitting in my hotel room in Denver, I nibbled off the end and then, when nothing happened, nibbled some more. I figured if I was reporting on the social revolution rocking Colorado in January, the giddy culmination of pot Prohibition, I should try a taste of legal, edible pot from a local shop. “What could go wrong with a bite or two? “Everything, as it turned out. “Not at first. For an hour, I felt nothing. I figured I’d order dinner from room service and return to my more mundane drugs of choice, chardonnay and mediocre-movies-on-demand. “But then I felt a scary shudder go through my body and brain. I barely made it from the desk to the bed, where I lay curled up in a hallucinatory state for the next eight hours. I was thirsty but couldn’t move to get water. Or even turn off the lights. I was panting and paranoid, sure that when the room-service waiter knocked and I didn’t answer, he’d call the police and have me arrested for being unable to handle my candy. “I strained to remember where I was or even what I was wearing, touching my green corduroy jeans and staring at the exposed-brick wall. As my paranoia deepened, I became convinced that I had died and no one was telling me.” As Rogue Valley politicians struggle to decide how best to implement the new laws, I hope they will take seriously the warnings of this book. Dave Swaney lives in Medford. By Dave Swaney MailTribune.com By Dave Swaney Posted Apr. 7, 2015 @ 2:00 am Updated Apr 7, 2015 at 9:46 AM » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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