DR. WALLACE: My friend and I recently did some local volunteer work at a few different venues so that we could include this experience on some of our college applications.

Once we were done, I really felt a deep sense of personal satisfaction. But when I asked my friend about our volunteer work, she simply told me that she thought it was very boring. Therefore, I did not bring it up with her again.

But lately, I've gone out on my own and done a bit more volunteer work around our town. Some of the seniors at the senior center and the kids at the children's hospital were so grateful and polite that I really felt honored to have been able to spend some time with them.

Am I some sort of oddball person to feel this way? I never dreamed I would find volunteer work so satisfying. Now I look for every opportunity to lend a helping hand whenever and wherever I can. I'm not sure if these feelings will last or if I'll forget all about volunteer work in a while. — I Like to Help, At Least for Now, via email

I LIKE TO HELP, AT LEAST FOR NOW: Congratulations on spending some of your free time in such a thoughtful and useful way.

I highly doubt that you will feel much differently later in your life as your personality and emotional makeup both guided you to being a natural at helping others.

You may or may not wish to someday pursue a formal career that involves helping others, but you will likely always find volunteer work satisfying on several levels. And no, this decidedly does not mean that you are an oddball person in any way. Rather, it means that you are compassionate, helpful and connect well with others. These personality traits are quite valuable, and you should be duly proud that you have innately developed them so well at your young age.

THE LAWS IN THIS COUNTRY ARE BACKWARD

DR. WALLACE: I'm a mellow person, and I like to smoke some cannabis to relax every afternoon. Cannabis is finally legal in the state I live in, and I can tell you that the legality of weed was long overdue when it finally arrived here. But better late than never, as they say. There are other things that I like too, but I won't mention what they are in case anyone tries to trace my email and comes after me for illegal drug possession.

What I want to know is why can anyone who is 18 buy as much alcohol as they want and drink themselves into oblivion if they want to, but certain other more mellow drugs are still illegal?

I think the laws are truly backward. Alcohol should be banned and some of the other drugs should be legal. Don't you agree? — Mellow Fellow, via email

MELLOW FELLOW: I don't agree with you that many drugs should be legalized, and the reason is due to what I've seen drugs do to individuals and families over the decades of writing this column.

You make an interesting point regarding alcohol, but at this point in our country's history, it sure looks like alcohol's legality is here to stay. Despite all the destruction and loss of life that alcohol causes in the United States every year, it creates far too much commerce and revenue to be banned.

But if you're interested in history, you can research both the Prohibition of alcohol and its subsequent repeal.

To answer your question, Congress (the Senate and the House of Representatives) writes and pass laws that are ultimately signed by the president to put them into effect. If you like or dislike any of our nation's current laws, you can lodge your complaints with your local congressional representative.

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 rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. 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.

Photo credit: Rémi Walle at Unsplash