MARIJUANA ERADICATION DOESN'T LEAD TO ICE USE

Lee Cataluna's recent column on legalizing marijuana is right on target.
The assertion that marijuana eradication efforts lead to ice use is
contradicted by the facts.

In 2002, the Hawai'i Department of Health surveyed over 25,000 students in
public and private schools. That study asked students how difficult it was
for them to get marijuana. Nearly 63 percent of 10th-grade students and
nearly 72 percent of high school seniors said it was "fairly easy" or "very
easy" to obtain pot.

If the average high school student is having no difficulty getting
pakalolo, it is difficult to believe that a marijuana shortage is driving
people to use hard drugs. (Source: 2002 Hawai'i Student Alcohol, Tobacco,
and Other Drug Use Study, available online at the Hawai'i DOH Web site,
www.state.hi.us/doh/ )

Ray Gagner

Kailua