Dear Editor,

When I told my friends at home that I would be transferring to UVM, their initial responses were pretty much the same: Youre going to listen to Phish and smoke so much pot!

As a Long Islander, that is generally the preconceived notion that people have of the green state of Vermont, as well as categorizing maple syrup as a beverage and constantly quoting Super Troopers.

However, when I got here, I was surprised to learn that this supposedly liberal state was not so liberal after all. Yes, it does enforce the importance of composting and has shoeless-guitar-strumming-hippies on Church Street, but the laws pertaining to marijuana are just as strict as they are back in New York.

Despite many construed beliefs, cannabis and hemp products are not legal in the state of Vermont. To my amazement, marijuana is not even decriminalized in Vermont, and yet it is in the conservative city of Boston, Mass.

Since this is a pro-cannabis, pro-hemp town, one would assume that Burlington, Vt. would take the stand in legalization, not just for going along with its liberal ideologies, but to better the economy.

In Katy Cardins article The story on pot, legalize it or not, the citizens will be able to voice their opinion on this matter on the Nov. 6 ballot.

I agree with Max Tracey, an interviewed city councilor, that I would like to see Burlington as a forerunner to blaze the trail on this issue. Vermont is a very agricultural state, and was hit rather hard from the recession in 2008; therefore, the implementation of legalization will ensure a boost in the states economy.

To say that marijuana has been given a bad rep over the past few decades is an understatement. Americans have been led to believe that marijuana is a dangerous and addictive drug that causes lung cancer and is a gateway to harder drugs.

Many people draw a parallelism between marijuana and being lazy or dirty. However, our society is very open to alcohol consumption despite its very harmful consequences.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease and Prevention (CDC), more than 37,000 annual deaths are related to alcohol consumption. What is the number of deaths from marijuana annually? Zero.

I have first-hand experience with the effects of alcoholism and how harmful it can be on a family unit. Therefore, I believe the laws of our society should not be so obtuse and be more flexible in the use of cannabis and hemp products.

Sincerely,

Alexandra Crivici

Class of 2015