ARGUMENTS IN THE MARIJUANA DEBATE

*Marijuana is a "gateway" drug that leads directly to use of harder
drugs, such as cocaine or heroin.

The short answer is no. Police continue to make the claim, although
they now acknowledge that their argument is based on gut feeling and
anecdotes. Academic researchers, including RAND, note there is a
"correlation" but not a "causation." In other words, many people who
use marijuana eventually use other drugs as well. But that's like
saying many people who drive blue cars have brown eyes - does one
cause the other?

Study after study has not proven a causal link, instead stating other
likely causes, such as that people who have access to marijuana are
likely to have easy access to other drugs. Or some people may be
biologically prone to addiction. "We've done a lot of good studies,"
said Rosalie Pacula, co-director of the RAND Drug Policy Research
Center in California, "and the evidence is fundamentally inconclusive."

*Society must keep marijuana laws in place, or teenage use will grow rampant.

Even as more states have decriminalized and sanctioned medical
marijuana, and about 85 percent of 12th-graders report easy access to
pot, the number of young users has fallen steadily since the 1990s.
About 16.6 percent of Colorado teens ages 12 to 17 admitted smoking
pot over the past year in 2005, down from 19.6 percent in 2003.
Researchers point out, though, that the number of young heavy users
has held steady at a worrisome 5 to 6 percent rate nationally.

*Police defy public will by continuing to harass simple pot smokers.

It's true that national arrests for marijuana possession rose to
696,000 in 2005 from 646,000 in 2000, even as the percentage of
Americans reporting that they used pot continued to fall. "Anyone who
spends any time in courts, like me, knows the current system is an
utter disaster," said Denver attorney Robert Corry Jr., who has
defended prominent marijuana cases.

Yet police and the state attorney general insist they have not
stepped up enforcement against small-time users or holders of
marijuana. "No one goes to prison just for possessing marijuana,"
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said. "You might go to prison
if you have 400 pounds with intent to distribute, but even then, it's
usually when you have a number of prior offenses. I think in the
scheme of things, we have given it the proper priority."

RAND's recent research also refutes the protests about higher arrest
numbers, saying a careful review of the arrests and convictions
paints a more complex picture. Those convicted on minor marijuana
offenses are often pleading down from more serious crimes, such as
possessing on school grounds, Pacula said. "A lot of the arrests come
from alcohol checkpoints. The police also find joints, and then
they're in jail for both offenses," she said. "People's images of the
casual user getting hauled off to jail are not true."

*Other nations that have legalized marijuana report no problems, and
people use less pot than in the U.S.

Partially true, but not the whole story, researchers say. It is true
that in the Netherlands, where shops can sell state-sanctioned
marijuana, use in all age groups is at a lower level than in the U.S.
But use did go up in the Netherlands, particularly among youths, when
laws were liberalized there, Pacula said. In both the Netherlands and
Australia, she said, treatment admissions for marijuana abuse went up
after restrictions were loosened.

"There's evidence that we should be concerned about who is using and
how much they're using," Pacula said. "Not all use is harmless."

*Marijuana is a medically dangerous drug; alternately, proponents may
argue marijuana use is harmless.

It's true that a quarter-century of research has debunked many
anti-marijuana myths, including that smoking pot kills brain cells.
Modern studies have specifically disproved that claim. Multiple
studies also have shown that while marijuana can be classified as
addictive along with alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, such as
caffeine, the percentage of users who become hooked is lower than
with other substances.

Researchers have not found strong connections between smoking
marijuana and lung cancer. Marijuana smoke does contain impurities
and potential carcinogens, but most users smoke far less often than
tobacco users.

Government pamphlets continue to warn of dangers to youth, including
impaired judgment, depression or risky behavior. Legalization
advocates respond that they are adamantly against minors using pot or
any other controlled drug.

Sources: National Survey on Drug Use and Health; RAND Drug Policy
Research Center; U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics; "Marijuana
Myths/Marijuana Facts," by Lynn Zimmer and John P. Morgan, M.D.;
Denver Post interviews.