Letters to the Editor for Dec. 5

A rejection of high potency cannabis

Thanks for your excellent Nov. 24 Amanda Sullender article grappling with health challenges some marijuana users are experiencing.

As a person who used to smoke marijuana years ago, way before it became legal, I’m alarmed about the increased potency in some cannabis strains at dispensaries in Washington state.

I didn’t know in 2012, when I voted yes on Washington’s Initiative 502 regarding the legalization of pot, that some weed products were going to include higher levels of THC.

In 2018, Keith Humphreys, who advised both the Bush and Obama administrations on drug policy, wrote for the Washington Post about a 16-year study in the Netherlands, wherein researchers concluded that with increases in THC, more marijuana smokers were likely to seek first-time medical help due to side-effects. (washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/02/07/why-states-should-limit-the-potency-of-marijuana/)

Back in the day, when I smoked herb, I was adamant that it was my right to do so.

Today, I still 100% respect folks’ prerogative to light up.

But getting rid of grass that’s loaded with greater concentrations of THC is crucial to better health outcomes.

When I voted for 502 thirteen years ago, I was remembering the mellow buzzes I got as a teen and young adult. More THC would’ve made me feel uncomfortable; it wouldn’t have been as enjoyable.

The state legislature ought to get a law on the books restricting potency levels in cannabis posthaste.

Tom Hundley

Seattle

‘Abolish all religions’

Jessica Yaegar has caused quite a stir, but she needed to go a bit further. Abolish all religions and many of the world’s ills will be solved.

But that might strike me as well. As the High Priest of the Church of Neo-Hedonism many of my flock might decide that they can find whatever they need on their own without my astute advice.

Ted Wert

Sagle, Idaho

Savages? More like slaughtered

“… the Samoans did behead the corpse of Monaghan and his comrade, so I’m not so sure the word ‘savage’ is not correct.” So opines Mr. Bruce Colquhoun in Sunday’s “Letters.” Savages? One need look no further than the actions of disgraced Col. George Wright of the U.S. Army to know what a savage is: Visit the memorial in Spokane Valley where Wright slaughtered over 700 horses or take a trip down Hangman Valley where Wright slaughtered Native Americans at a “peace” conference. The Monaghan statue belongs in a graveyard where his family can honor his heroics and ponder the futility of war.

Rev. James Anderson Murphy

Spokane