Letter to the Editor: Legal Does Not Mean Safe

Illinois should be making our communities safer, not doubling the legal limits for marijuana.

Under a new state law, Illinois residents may now possess up to 60 grams of marijuana flower, 10 grams of cannabis concentrate and 1,000 milligrams of THC in infused products. Non-residents also saw their limits doubled.

And, it comes at a time when marijuana use is already creating obvious problems. Anyone who drives through Springfield knows the smell of marijuana is not hard to find. You can smell it on streets, at stoplights and in busy areas of town. We are supposed to believe nobody using marijuana is getting behind the wheel, but common sense says otherwise.

Marijuana can impair reaction time, judgment and coordination. We already have too many distracted and impaired drivers on the road. Doubling the legal limits will only make that problem worse.

There are also numerous reports warning about dependence and emergency room visits tied to heavy marijuana use, especially among younger adults. A recent Washington Post report discussed concerns involving daily cannabis use, withdrawal, mental health effects and ER visits among young adults.

Legal does not mean safe. Illinois should be taking marijuana risks more seriously, not making it easier to possess more of it.

-Nancy Bell

Pawnee