The Jan. 14 front-page article titled “State ready to drug-test some welfare applicants” is more than resourceful for where money is being used, and where the focus is for the welfare of the state and the well-being for individuals. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families would be remiss to not take into consideration where individuals are using their other personal assets; thus, mandating programmatic support for addicts is more than resourceful.

Lawmakers also need to acknowledge and accept the fact that marijuana is a “gateway drug” even if it becomes legalized.

So, with legalizing marijuana, why not consider legalizing other hallucinogenic drugs that are known to simply alter communication between brain cells? Depending on the phase of use, or how frequently it is used, marijuana shares qualities of depressants and/or stimulants in the psychoactive drug category.

Legalizing marijuana for recreational use, and/or resisting the drug test for welfare applicants, would enable addicts, just as Gov. LePage stipulated, and doing so would neglect the literal part of “assistance for needy families.”

Because help with addiction(s) in families is paramount, addicted individuals clearly qualify for help, but not assistance in being able to afford their addictions.

Greg R. Stacy

Denmark