DON'T KID YOURSELVES: POT IS JUST AS HARMFUL AS BOOZE

Re Medical hypocrisy on pot smoking, Letter, Aug. 16.

In supporting those "who make the healthier choice" of marijuana over
alcohol, as he puts it, Norm Siefken states the following: "Doctors know
that marijuana is essentially harmless when compared to alcohol."

As a doctor, I disagree with Siefken's claims.

I would emphasize that a long, healthy life can be enjoyed without alcohol
or marijuana. For those wishing to choose one or the other substance,
however, Siefken's advice is misleading. In contrasting alcohol with
marijuana, Siefken compares the impact of consuming small amounts of
marijuana with the impact of consuming all quantities of alcohol. By this
analysis, marijuana appears safer because alcohol misuse is associated with
liver disease, domestic violence, harm to pregnancies and other ills.

Siefken's comparison is misleading for anyone deciding between alcohol and
marijuana because he ignores studies that focus on the impact of consuming
small amounts of alcohol regularly. Many studies on non-pregnant people who
drink this way — for example those who take only a glass of red wine a day
— have found health benefits in the form of lengthened life spans and
reduced cardiovascular disease.

A question that needs to be asked is the question that Siefken avoids: Is
the consumption of all levels of marijuana as safe as taking small amounts
of alcohol? The answer is no, and the science of the matter speaks for
itself. Smoke is produced whenever substances burn. It doesn't matter if
the substance is diesel fuel, cooking oil, tobacco or marijuana. And smoke
is bad for people who inhale it. Smoke contains hazardous chemicals that
damage the membranes of the mouth and airways. The result of repetitive
smoke damage over time is cancer in these locations.

As expected, studies have recently noted increased numbers of mouth and
upper airway cancers in marijuana smokers.

Dr. Keith Stringer

Pathologist and Fellow

Harvard Medical School

Boston