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JUST SAY NO I went to the city council meeting where the topic of selling recreational marijuana in Springfield was on the agenda. I could tell from the comments of several of the members that their minds were already made up before the meeting started. All of my comments, and others too, dealt with the destructive effects of marijuana use, both to mental health and actions. I even mentioned how marijuana is so much more powerful now than in the 1960s (2% THC then compared to 20-25% THC now).
One city council member said his friends who smoked marijuana in the 70s have good jobs. Another member brushed off the horrible effects just to talk about the money they could make. How sad that the majority of the city council was focused on that, and not on setting a good example for others. Making money off of harming people – what a sick world we live in. Joyce Huber Springfield
TAINTING THE PROCESS Over the years, whenever I brought up my experience of being hit on by a specific UIS professor, I found several other women who said, ‘Oh yeah, he made a pass at me, too,’ (“Preserving the reputations of sexual harassers,” Aug. 29). My takeaway after that was to question if we really earned the grades in his classes or was he just keeping it friendly? It diminishes the value of one’s work in the class. Once that line is crossed, the professor can no longer be considered credible in the evaluation process. The loss is much higher than one’s dignity, it taints the entire product that the university is offering and that is something you cannot repair. Name withheld by request Springfield
DON’T BAN VAPING The recent city council ordinance prohibiting vaping in public places is reactionary and unnecessary. There has been no study to indicate that the inhaling of secondhand vapor is harmful. I’m told it is similar to inhaling the vapor of a burning candle.
The sad news about the young people who have become ill after vaping is very incomplete. We don’t know what type of instrument they were using. More importantly, we don’t know what chemicals they were vaping, nor the source. Without that information, it is impossible to know if a ban on the use of e-cigarettes is of value.
My associates can tell you that, after more than 50 years of smoking cigarettes, I had a terrible cough. After trying to quit with various methods, I finally found that vaping worked for me. Five years ago, when I began vaping, my cough virtually disappeared almost immediately. Please note that I buy brand name devices and use brand name, legal chemicals. While they are not helpful, they are not as harmful as burning tobacco.
While my lungs are seriously damaged, the vaping is actually delaying the progress of my emphysema. My doctors and even my dental hygienist have expressed their approval of my vaping. This ordinance will be harmful to me and others who have found vaping to be helpful. Buff Carmichael Springfield
