By Debbie Parsons

After two hours of debate and discussion, the old question "Should Marijuana be legalized?" remained unanswered. Both panel and audience members failed to find a solution, but some interesting opinions were aired.

The setting was the debate held last Saturday night at the Cathedral of Christ the King in the Hyland Center to discuss the legalization of marijuana.

The program originated under the direction of Julie Ann Leise, director of Religious Education at the Cathedral, and Peter Fenton, youth representative for the Cathedral's Parish Council and emcee for the debate.

Panel members included defense attorney Al Horn, Dr. Joseph Hertell of the Metropolitan Atlanta Council on Alcohol and Drugs and Father Jake Bollmer, counselor at St. Joseph's Village and a member of the Social Services staff in the diocese.

Others on the panel were Georgia Legislators George Larsen and Bill Alexander, both members of a House Committee currently investigating the relevancy of present marijuana laws, and Bob Waynor, director of an Atlanta program aimed at helping drug addicts.

Each member of the panel presented his views on the legalization of marijuana, backing up his presentation with experience from his respective field.

Attorney Horn, who favors the legalization of marijuana, said that the present laws are far more severe than the action of smoking pot necessitates. According to Horn, marijuana is not as serious a drug as heroin, yet offenders suffer the same penalty. He said there is little evidence that the use of marijuana leads to the use of hard drugs.

Based on his experience, Horn feels that the present law is "criminalizing young people." He also feels that the severity of the law results in corruption of the police department and produces a punitive atmosphere in the court, "because many court officials use it as a vehicle to attack youth."

He did, however, see one good result from the "criminalization of youth" inasmuch as young people are able to see the ills of the present penal system firsthand, which results in their demand for penal reform.

Dr. Hertell feels that not enough is known about marijuana. He said that it is the way in which marijuana is used, and the reason for its use that make it potentially dangerous.

Those people who become drug dependent lack positive feelings about themselves. They are unable to face the realities of life, he said. Drugs can offer an easy way out -- an illusory solution to a problem that has not really been solved.

The adolescent must learn to understand and accept anxiety and loneliness, Dr. Hertell continued. These emotions and feelings are suppressed in our society, making it all the more difficult to adjust to them. But, he added, they are a natural part of the growth process which must be confronted and dealt with in a realistic way, and not through the smokescreen of marijuana.

Dr. Hertell views marijuana as a relaxant if confined to proper use by responsible adults. He stated that if it is used in the right way it is not harmful and favors the legalization of marijuana to take it out of the hands of youth.

Father Jake Bollmer picked up Dr. Hertell's idea that it is the 'why' element in the use of marijuana that is important. He compared smoking grass to "a more sophisticated form of thumb-sucking." There are usually personal problems involved, he feels, stemming mainly from an inadequate home life.

"Most youth do not consider that marijuana may have an effect on their personal growth," he said.

Both George Larsen and Bill Alexander agreed that the present situation in the courts is hypocritical. Alexander was cautions, however, about making marijuana legal, stating, "We should first reduce the present penalty from a felony to a misdemeanor."

After the initial presentations, the floor was opened to the audience, whose views proved to be as varied as those of the panel.