TAKING A HIT

Cannabis Of Worms (editorial -- March 19) illustrates two recurring
problems in the debate about the legal status of cannabis: confusion about
the meaning of decriminalization and legalization, and so-called "facts"
that are no longer consistent with the evidence.

Your editorial correctly states that police leaders have called for
"decriminalization, as distinct from legalization," but doesn't explain the
difference. The essence of decriminalization is that it isn't complete. The
use of marijuana would remain socially disapproved, even though no longer a
criminal offence. The punishment would be, at most, a fine, rather than
incarceration and a criminal record.

Second, your editorial states that Dutch teenagers' rate of drug use is
among the lowest in Europe. But a review of all the available Dutch surveys
showed that this is no longer true. From 1970 to 1986, the rates of
cannabis use by teenagers in the Netherlands and Norway were very similar,
and much lower than in the U.S. Since then, the rate in the Netherlands has
risen sharply, and is now basically the same as in the U.S.

H. Kalant, MD,

Professor Emeritus,

University of Toronto