Homeless in Arizona

This one coming from the Catholic Church!

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My Turn Marijuana will harm, not help, education Cristofer P. Pereyra, AZ I See It 9:58 a.m. MST October 17, 2016

Seven things to know about Arizona's pot initiative

Here are seven facts about Arizona's pot initiative including how the tax dollars will be divided between departments.

With all the noise about the millions of dollars that taxes on legalized marijuana will supposedly bring to our state’s public education, some cannot see the damage it will bring. Not all the money in the world will be sufficient to repair the harm that we will be doing to our youth if we allow this dangerous drug to be legalized in Arizona.

Marijuana is a drug, period; and it's a very addictive one. In the youth, it has the potential to damage the normal development of their brains. Do we need to know more? How far will we take the absurd relativism in which we have submerged our society?

Let us educate ourselves a bit. Marijuana overstimulates the neurological system causing coordination problems, difficulty to think and resolve situations; not to mention the obstruction of memory and learning. Add to the mix the possibility that a consumer of the drug could put him or herself behind the wheel while under the influence; and you have the perfect recipe for a tragedy.

All of this of course happens already. Marijuana is consumed in our state every day by hundreds of people. Once legalized for recreational use (in other words, for the sake of getting high) the number or users and potential future addicts may double or triple.

Legal marijuana: Pros and cons

The idea that marijuana will stimulate education is illogical. What education? Marijuana restricts cognitive abilities in adolescents much more than in adults, and its effects can last for several weeks. In the long term (after years of use), marijuana reduces the capacity for a student to pay attention as well as their capacity for retention. It also weakens the verbal communication skills of its users.

None of this is a secret, everybody knows it. Science has studied the effects of marijuana for years. Check these facts for yourself. Need more? Although more studies are needed to confirm it, a link between the regular use of marijuana and mental diseases has been identified. We are talking about depression, anxiety, psychosis, even having suicidal thoughts. How are these supposed to improve education?

Please learn more about the harmful effects of marijuana and what its legalization has done to other states. And pray we don’t let this happen to Arizona.

Cristofer P. Pereyra is director of the Hispanic Mission Office for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix.