SPLIT DECISION IN KAY VS. KAY

Re: Romancing The Bottle, Jonathan Kay, June 4.

While Jonathan Kay is quite right in his assertion that the misuse of
alcohol is far more dangerous to society than the threat posed by
marijuana, his claim that "marijuana use is correlated with
depression, social alienation and the like" needs slight
qualification. It is more likely that those who misuse marijuana will
be the ones to develop mental and physical problems. There is a
growing body of research that suggests there is no such thing as a
typical marijuana user, and that it is possible to use marijuana in a
responsible fashion for recreational purposes.

For example, research that I recently completed on employed
middle-class marijuana users found that people of all ages and
occupations are selectively sparking up as a way to enhance activities
ranging from socializing, watching television and enjoying the
outdoors to having sex, painting or listening to and playing music.
For some, marijuana is a way to relax, unwind and "zone out." But on
other occasions, or for other users, it is a way to zone in and focus
their attention. It is also worth noting that for most of the people I
interviewed, responsible use implied moderate use in an appropriate
social setting, not allowing use to interfere with any other daily
responsibilities and not allowing it to cause harm to others.

I doubt if this is news to many Canadian Baby Boomers who use, have
used or have friends that use marijuana. It is time to rethink our pot
laws.

Geraint B. Osborne, associate professor of sociology, University of
Alberta, Augustana Campus, Camrose, Alta.