DRUG POLICY AGENCY MISLEADS ON MARIJUANA

Any discussion of the Office of National Drug Control Policy's claim
that today's marijuana is more potent than in the past ("Boomers,
beware: Pot more potent now," July 28) must be prefaced by the fact
the agency routinely lies about marijuana.

Case in point: A recent report by the agency claimed frequent
marijuana ingestion doubles a teen's risk of depression and anxiety.

When questioned about the agency's claim that "using marijuana can
cause depression and other mental illnesses," drug czar John Walters
admitted there is no proof one leads to another.

Similarly, the claim "marijuana potency is not the same as it was in
the 1970s" goes "up in smoke." Researchers at the University of New
South Wales, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, examined the
potency of more than 100,000 pot seizures from around the world,
concluding, "Claims made in the public domain about a 20- or 30-fold
increase in cannabis potency and about the adverse mental health
effects of cannabis contamination are not supported currently by the
evidence."

According to their report, in the United States, tetrahydrocannabinol
levels of cannabis have risen slightly over the last 25 years, from
about 1 percent to 4 percent.

Yes, today there is much more potent pot available to consumers who
can afford it but - speaking from the perspective of a citizen of
"Woodstock Nation" - it was also available "back in the day." Anyone
remember Thai Stick? The potency myth is the cornerstone of the
government's misbegotten 70-year-old war on marijuana. It's time for a
reality check.

WALTER F. WOUK

Cobleskill