To the editor:

While I was driving through Lynn on a weekend morning, the smell of pot was so potent that it was in the air in my car. The question we need to ask as Lynn residents is whether we want our population in this city to be addicted to another substance, one that is a gateway drug, which is harmful, especially to young developing brains. It has become a $20 billion industry at the cost of the lives of our young people’s future.

It is not the pot that our past generation used. The high concentration of THC and the higher potency of THC has made cannabis highly addicting. Two new preliminary studies presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2023 suggest regular users of the drug may have elevated risks of heart attacks, heart failure, or strokes compared to non-cannabis users. A large study by researchers at Stanford Medicine also found that people who use marijuana are at a higher risk for heart disease and heart attack. It increases the risk of anxiety, depression, and suicide. It lowers every area of the brain and accelerates aging in the brain.

Further, it is not proven safe. Not to mention how it can destroy individual lives and families as more and more people become addicted. We also know that there is cannabis withdrawal.

What kind of community are we creating and fostering, particularly for the young people whose brains are still developing up to the age of 28 for boys? Isn’t this a discussion we should be having since these facilities proliferate in every corner of our city, especially if we care about the future of our citizens? 

Maria Perez