Readers' views

New project will double, destroy Midway

The Woodford County Planning and Zoning Commission holds the future of the unique community of Midway in its hands. I say �no� to the proposed residential development of property near Interstate 64 at Georgetown-Paris Road.

Lexington developer Dennis Anderson proposes to double the size of Midway�s population. Why would any developer want to build homes, restaurants and retail space on land occupied by huge, ugly power lines?

This is the same development group that several months ago bought property across the interstate for the development of a small hotel, which would have greatly benefited the community.

A sign has been on that property for some time now. It reads: �For lease or build to suit.� Since that has not seen fruition, what is the real plan for the other property?

What is happening to some of our smaller communities in the Bluegrass area is criminal. Versailles is a perfect example. It has allowed Rubloff Group Holdings to hold it hostage for years, and now the city council, against planning and zoning recommendations, has approved a large Lowe�s store instead of the original plan for a tree-lined, pedestrian-friendly uptown development.

Perhaps, in the case of Midway, the economic development association has not explored all avenues. Did they consult with anyone nationally to try to obtain expert advice as to what might be the best approach to market this property? Please do not change or alter the spirit that is Midway.

Peg Johnson Lexington

Project too costly

Developer Dennis Anderson astonished us all on May 29 at a planning and zoning hearing where he tried to present his plan to saddle the rare and beautiful town of Midway with an exponential debt.

His residential development, which could double Midway�s population, would force the community to provide extra police and fire department services, road upkeep, sewer restructuring and extra space at three schools in Midway that are already at maximum capacity. This could cost millions.

Most times with residential development, developers pay the total cost of this themselves, not the town or city. In this case, Anderson would already have land with water and sewer put in at Midway�s expense.

He has sought to convince the town council that letting him develop would be a great deal. Many in Midway and on the council have not run the numbers and don�t realize how high the debt could run. In five years, depending how fast the people who need these services come in, the town may reach bankruptcy status.

There is no point in taking the gold that is Midway and rendering it into straw.

Maralyn Burstein Midway

Risks outweigh benefits

Daniel M. Davidson�s June 6 letter says the U.S. government has prevented a wonder drug, marijuana (also known as cannabis) from entering the market.

When I was a pharmacy student around 1940, marijuana was a legal drug. It was an official therapeutic substance listed in U.S. pharmaceutical compendia as such from 1873 to 1942. It was regarded as a painkiller and euphoric for use in medicine, but it was also a substance that entered substantially into channels of abuse and misuse by adults and schoolchildren for its mind-altering effects.

Its use as a �rogue� drug in the Middle East and Asia for centuries, sometimes among those who dissipate and misbehave, was suggestive to U.S. narcotic agents and government leaders that the risks from marijuana misuse and the asocial behaviors it caused outweighed its value in medicine.

So in the United States, it has become illegal to grow and harvest hemp from which medicinal-grade marijuana is prepared, nor is it legal to distribute it for unauthorized use to achieve highs and reduce inhibitions in human behaviors.

Thus, pharmacies no longer carry the crude powdered drug, nor the medicinal tincture, extract or fluid extract made from it.

Joseph V. Swintosky Emeritus dean, professor University of Kentucky Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceuticals Nicholasville