DR. WALLACE: I enjoy smoking marijuana, but I don't drink any alcohol. I'm unhappy to say that alcohol is a legal drug that can be purchased and taxed almost anywhere if the buyer is at least 21. But marijuana is also considered a drug but is declared to be illegal. I honestly believe that in the next year or two, it will be legal to purchase marijuana.

This action will solve two major problems. First, the taxes gathered on marijuana sales will help lower the national debt. And second, legal sales of marijuana will put a serious dent in the now criminal activity of growing and selling marijuana. I also believe that marijuana use is less harmful to your body than alcohol. Is this true? What chemical causes the marijuana user to get high? —Nameless, Tupelo, Miss.

NAMELESS: In his booklet, "Marijuana: Time for a Closer Look," Curtis Janeczek, who was a senior medical student at Ohio State University, provided an update on the scientific research on the use of marijuana. He included information about Tetrahydrocannabinol or "THC" for short, which is the chemical that causes a marijuana user to get high.

Alcohol and pot have little in common. Alcohol leaves the body within six hours after drinking. When smoking pot, THC is stored in cells and experiments show that it takes the body from two weeks to a month to get rid of the chemical. Marijuana is poison to cells. Dozens of experiments have proved that pot messes up cell growth and cell division in humans and this includes lung cells, blood cells, sperm cells and brain cells.

I'm always amazed by the high volume of people who require a drug or drugs to get "high." Those who get "high" the "old-fashioned way," without the use of drugs, share an abundance of wonderful adjectives including loving, caring, helping, teaching, honoring, serving, etc. I think you get the message.

YOU SUFFERED THE HIGH PRICE OF LEARNING

DR. WALLACE: I loaned my ex-boyfriend $150 to help him buy a car. He said he would pay me back $50 a month for four months. The last $50 would have been interest on the loan. At the time I loaned him the money, I thought we were deeply in love. Now we are no longer an item! We split up a month ago, but Pedro still promised to pay me — eventually.

Well, I'm convinced that "eventually" might never come. How do I sue him to get my money? I really need it. —Rosa, Laredo, Tex.

ROSA: Sorry, but unless you have a promissory note from him stating that he will repay the loan of $150 plus $50 interest, your chances of forcing him to repay you are nil. Continue to ask for the return of your money if you are in contact with him, and be happy if he repays even a part of what he owes you. Chalk off what you don't get back as the high price of learning.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.