I was in my mid twenties before I smoked my first marijuana cigarette. After so many rather pleasant contacts from being round friends and others that indulged I finally gave it a shot. I remember being truly relaxed except seriously paranoid. I thought every knock on the door was the police about to inquire entry. I remember finding everything so funny from my first official toke. I never experienced any reefer madness. I enjoyed the experience and get a toker at least for a good while. I never developed the desire to do stronger drugs. The idea that marijuana is a gateway that leads people to stronger illegal drugs or controlled substances is love saying beer leads to alcohol addiction or people who use Sudafed will drive people to methamphetamine. Just since some people are so inclined doesn t mean everyone would and thus the association is not automatic.

I would like to have the freedom to smoke marijuana in my home without the risk of prison or losing my job. If me smoking marijuana would lead to the type of antisocial behaviors that would cause me to become a social menace that would drive me to infringe on the rights of others then I m sure association has plenty of legal tools to handle such an outcome. Unfortunately living here in Missouri it doesn t seem like I ll get that opportunity any time soon if ever.

A few months ago I discovered K2 a blend of dried leafy green herbs that is for all practical purposes a marijuana substitute. K2 looks like marijuana and when it is smoked it gives a comparable high to marijuana. But because it isn t marijuana it is totally legal at least for now.

The production has caught the attention of law enforcement who says that usage for K2 is on the rise State legislators are proposing a K2 ban in Missouri that is aimed at killing the market for the herb before it gets any worse. Police and academy officials say they are concerned about K2 s unknown health risks since the herb has become so popular so quickly. State Representative Ward Franz a Republican from West Plains has introduced a bill to add the chemical composite in K2 to Missouris list of illegal drugs under the excuse that if we don t do something somebody is going to be using the herb while driving and murder somebody.

The problem is that there s no evidence that people who use K2 are driving and killing anyone and Mr. Franz s and others assumption that they will is totally baseless. Besides we understand for a fact that there are people who are having accidents killing others because of alcohol consumption and yet alcohol isn t an illegal substance and is widely available. In Missouri your local grocery shop will sell you everything from the cheapest beer to the finest spirits. We know alcohol kills. But we want to focus on K2? People who text on cell phones kill other people. And yet cell phones are not illegal. Why the focus on K2? We know that there s potential for people to have accidents while eating fast food or reaching for a drink from their super sized beverage. Tobacco cigarettes have the capacity to kill people without the use of a car. And yet none of these items have been declared illegal. Why is there such a quick and immediate need to curb the use of K2?