To the editor:

Hello, we are Laney Jorstad and Katarina Andzic from Lindbergh High School.

We are doing a health issues project for our anatomy class, and we have been researching the concept of legalizing marijuana.

The legalization of marijuana is a well-talked-about issue since certain states have legalized it while others have legalized medical marijuana.

We believe marijuana should be legalized, but should have restrictions on who can sell it and buy it.

It should be legalized because it has many health benefits such as chronic pain relief, slowing the growth of cancer, regulating diabetes, helping with seizure disorders and more.

Helping with chronic pain relief is a big factor in why we believe it should be legalized.

Many people use medical marijuana for pain relief, but many doctors don’t prescribe it because they don’t believe in using herbal drugs for pain management.

More than 25 million adults in the United States alone suffer from chronic pain which leads to disability.

By making marijuana legal, it will be easier for those who need it for medical purposes to obtain it and start having relief.

We are aware there are downsides to legalizing marijuana such as marijuana-related car accidents, problems with child development in the womb and the effects on the brain.

We propose making a countrywide age limit on who can use and buy marijuana, having the government be able to test and regulate the marijuana supply chain, fining underage users and mandatory labeling of concentrations and risks of the marijuana.

We believe by doing all of this, legalized marijuana will be easier to manage for the government.

Thank you for you time and consideration.

Laney Jorstad
Sunset Hills

Editor’s note: Laney Jorstad is a senior and Katarina Andzic is a junior at Lindbergh High School, and they submitted this letter as part of a class project.