Don’t litter in remembrance

Sympathy, yes; balloons, no

Regarding “Friends, strangers rally for Maleah” (City/State, Thursday): I understand the emotions involved regarding the missing girl, but a balloon release is the wrong way to express those emotions.

Releasing balloons to drift on the wind is nothing but littering. What do the releasers think happens to those balloons? They come down relatively soon somewhere and become eyesores — and even worse, can end up killing wildlife.

Time is past due to end this practice.

G. Stephenson, Manvel

Avoid pot hysteria

Regarding “Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is right about marijuana (Opinion, Houston-Chronicle.com ): Powerful cannabis has always been around, ranging from Thai Stick in the 1960s to hashish, a powerful cannabis extract that has been around for thousands of years. The National Academy of Science stated, “Conclusive scientific evidence available today establishes the efficacy of the use of whole plant cannabis to treat a number of clinical conditions, among them chronic pain, nausea and treating spasticity associated with diseases like multiple sclerosis.”

Cannabis use has never killed even one person. Nearly all hard-drug users likely did start with cannabis and probably a beer or two, but way more than 90 percent of pot users do not move on to other drugs. The author’s claims regarding suicide have no reference I could find anywhere other than within his own organization.

Following implementation of the laws to legalize cannabis in Colorado, there was an increase in emergency room visits by those who took too large a dose of edibles, but via warnings and now common knowledge, those numbers have nearly disappeared. Because cannabis molecules stay in a users system for up to 30 days, any analysis that shows a correlation between cannabis use and traffic accidents is at best suspect.

Dean Becker, Houston

Missed opportunity

Regarding “Many missing as champs honored” (Sports, Thursday): Alex Cora, who was the Astros’ bench coach and is now the manager of the MLB champion Boston Red Sox, chose not to to visit the White House with his team, citing his frustration with the administration’s efforts to help his native Puerto Rico recover from a devastating hurricane. It would have been better to speak with President Trump during this visit about his concerns.

What does abench coach do? According to MLB, he advises the manager, offers advice and puts forth ideas during the game.

James Pawlowski, Houston

Industrial safety is key

Regarding “How Harris County is gearing up to handle chemical fires” (Outlook, May 3): Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo understood that we weren’t prepared to respond to the disastrous chemical fires in Deer Park and Crosby. Acknowledging that is the right kind of leadership.

She took steps to keep Spanish-speaking residents better informed about the potential dangers, showing that she understands who often lives in harm’s way, and then she and the Commissioners Court voted to hire four additional environmental prosecutors.

I hope Hidalgo continues to make this issue a priority, and I hope that more elected officials, including those in the state Legislature and in city and county offices, follow her lead and join her in this fight.

Johnny N. Mata, Greater Houston Coalition for Justice