Consider pot rules closely

Dear editor: Soon Penticton will be conducting a survey on marijuana on the Shapeyourcity website.

It will be asking citizens what rules and regulations we citizens want in place to control how and where this drug is sold and where it is smoked. Those not online should request copies of the forms from City Hall for input.

We live in an age today where it is no longer acceptable to smoke. We have forced smokers into back alleys; away from entrances to retail outlets; banned smoking in public buildings all in an effort to enforce the right of non-smokers to clean air.

The federal government has sanctioned marijuana in an effort to circumvent the illegal trade. Marijuana smoke is far more offensive then cigarette smoke.

The effect of inadvertently inhaling it for those susceptible (or unaware they are susceptible) to psychotic episodes which can be normally controlled by medication can be catastrophic.

While there is much talk about the medical benefits of this drug, like any drug when used without due care and attention it can have undesirable side effects.

There is research out that marijuana use by young people can precipitate a psychotic episodes... hence the thinking is young brains can be harmed by exposure to marijuana.

So many young lives have been negatively affected by regular use of marijuana that society has a duty to ensure non-smokers of this drug are not negatively affected. The dangers of second-hand smoke to minors, the elderly and those with lung diseases is well documented.

Hampstead, a city in Quebec, has passed a bylaw that states in part: “Tobacco use on all municipal properties including parks, streets, sidewalks, municipal vehicles, municipal buildings and land adjacent to such buildings is prohibited;

“It is forbidden to smoke any tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, pipes and all other products or substances, vegetable or chemical, that can be smoked by any instrument.”

No smoker should have the right to force any non-smoker to inhale their fumes, inadvertently or otherwise. Elvena Slump Penticton