Letters: Not so fast on recreational marijuana in New York

I was addicted to cigarettes for 35 years. Although I stopped smoking and hadn’t had a cigarette for more than 20 years, I required surgery for lung cancer. When I started smoking cigarettes in the mid-1950s, the federal government hadn’t yet said that cigarettes were harmful. Eventually, it said they were, and later campaigned against cigarettes.

Now our state government wants to legalize recreational marijuana [“Gov makes pot pitch,” News, Jan. 16]. As with cigarettes years ago, officials are quiet about whether sucking smoke into your lungs is harmful. I guess our governor, many state legislators and the mayor of New York City are happier with the tax revenue they will receive from marijuana sales than they are concerned about the health of their constituents.

Gary Smith, Island Park

Every day I hear news of people being killed by drivers who are drunk or high on drugs.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, you want to legalize marijuana because it will bring in a lot of money to New York. Where are your values?

Roberta Theissen, West Babylon

As a Nassau County resident and a concerned father, I oppose the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, and I support health officials who call for caution.

I have been involved in the criminal justice system for more than 40 years as both a ranking official in the NYPD and a bureau chief in the Bronx district attorney’s office. I have seen what alcohol and drug addiction do to our society, and I strongly believe that marijuana is a gateway drug. We all know the serious issues that alcohol has caused, and we should be aware that once the genie is out of the bottle (as in legalizing marijuana) it cannot be put back.

Legal pot will give more young people the opportunity to abuse marijuana because people 21 and older will have the opportunity to buy it legally and resell it to minors. In addition, stores that legally sell pot could become magnets for drug dealers. This could lead to serious problems for nearby homeowners.

In addition, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said last year that Colorado, Washington and Oregon — three states that legalized recreational marijuana — saw 5.2 percent more accidents compared with neighboring states that did not legalize marijuana. I realize that correlation does not imply causation, but these accident numbers are alarming.

Stephen Nasta, Great Neck Plaza

Newsday reported on Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s plan to crack down on e-cigarettes and tobacco by raising the age to buy those products to 21 [“Gov aims to hike age for e-cig, tobacco smoking,” News, Jan. 13].

The caring governor said, “In New York, we refuse to stand idly by while unscrupulous businesses target our young people and put their very futures at risk.”

But this week, the same governor has proposed legalization of recreational marijuana! So he really doesn’t care about our youth.

The American Academy of Pediatrics opposes legalization for recreational use. In 2015, it said that for adolescents, marijuana can impair memory and concentration, and is linked to lower odds of completing high school or college. It can alter motor control, coordination and judgment, which could contribute to unintentional deaths. The academy said regular use also is linked to psychological problems, poorer lung health, and a higher likelihood of drug dependence in adulthood.

With legal recreational marijuana, adults will smoke freely in the home, and children from infancy on up will inhale its smoke. I believe these babies don’t have a chance of productive adult lives. All for the sake of state revenue. This must never be allowed to pass.

Rosemary Fuchs, Hicksville

Are you kidding, governor? OK, raise the age for tobacco and cigarettes, but make recreational marijuana legal? What is the logic? I never heard of cigarette smoking causing drunken-driving accidents. The results of this disaster will be more accidents and respiratory problems, and a possibility of moving on to harder drugs.

When will all the other drugs become the next cash cow for the state? I am sorry for the future of our state, and for future generations.

Denise Buss, Medford

We are bombarded with television commercials sponsored by New York State Department of Health outlining the many severe consequences of smoking cigarettes, including lung disease, cancer and addiction.

The American Lung Association reports that smoking marijuana causes lung disease, compromises the immune system and can hurt lungs’ ability to fight infection. Health care costs are through the roof. So why is New York State promoting legalization of marijuana?

Toby Stevens, Holbrook