Editorials / Opinion

Seattle Times letters to the editor

Pot easy for teens to obtain

A one gram bag of marijuana called Cheese Cake that is sold to clients at the Northwest Patient Resource Center.
(Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times)

I had a good laugh upon reading just this headline: [“Challenge ahead to keep pot out of young hands,” page one, June 13].As a former young person, I recall how easy it was to obtain marijuana — much easier for most of my cohort than it was to get alcohol.

As a current high-school teacher, I have often informally surveyed my junior and senior students to get their take on this issue. My classes have consistently presented a clear consensus that any student who wanted to get pot could do so easily, and this was before the law was changed to legalize it in Washington.

That’s not to say it doesn’t make sense to attempt to restrict legal marijuana’s availability to people under the age of 21. But the idea that somehow young people are going to go on a pot-smoking binge now that weed is legal for adults is to ignore the reality that it has always been obtainable for pretty much anyone of any age who wants to consume it.

Eliminating state liquor stores was a much bigger mistake; minors are finding it easier than ever to get alcohol.

Matt Withee, Marysville