SMOKING MARIJUANA IS NOT HARMFUL TO HEALTH

There has been an issue dwelling in the underground of Virginia Tech.
One whose public side is marked more by stereotypes and empty rhetoric
than the genuine thought that should drive legislation. In Tuesday's
edition of the Collegiate Times, there was a giant pot leaf on the
cover and an article about the Student Government Association's
potential lobby for a shift in policy from zero tolerance to three
strikes. This has brought up an issue that is seldom discussed in a
serious manner. Marijuana use is a common recreational drug for
college students, with repercussions that involve suspension from
classes, court appearances, and possible jail time.

The repercussions not on the list include cancer, violent behavior,
brain damage, addiction, and death. That's because marijuana does not
cause any of these. Last summer, a survey study was done by a Stanford
professor that concluded that there is no correlation between smoking
pot and lung cancer. Experts hypothesize that this is due to the lower
volume of smoke inhaled by the common pot user in relation to a
cigarette smoker. Violent behavior doesn't settle well with a user
either. Under the influence, a user will become sedate, forgetful, and
hungry, but not violent. The way marijuana affects the brain does not
incur any lasting damage. This is in the scientific opinion of editors
of the medical journal Lancet, who concluded after 30 years of
research, that "the smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not
harmful to health."

Marijuana is not physically addictive at all; some one who quits will
not get the shakes like an alcoholic, or numbing cravings like a
cigarette smoker. Also, no one has ever died from smoking cannabis .
no one! With this knowledge, how is getting kicked out of school as a
part of zero tolerance "for our own good?" I urge the SGA to pass this
piece of legislation because it is in our best interest. I also urge
anyone who feels strongly about this topic to write a letter to the
Editor. Conversation is the first step.

Nick Luhring

Senior, physics