ANOTHER POT WARNING

IN BRIEF: A new Canadian study suggests teens are turning from
cigarettes to marijuana in the mistaken belief it is safer than tobacco.

As Ottawa proceeds with its fuddled plan to decriminalize marijuana, a
new federal report suggests teens aren't getting the message ALL
smoking is bad for them.

The federal Liberals are mounting their third attempt to push soft pot
laws through Parliament just as the war on tobacco is being won. They
don't seem to grasp the reality that teens are switching from
cigarettes to marijuana under the false impression it is somehow "safer".

Tobacco use was also once considered relatively harmless before
research showed it was killing up to 45,000 Canadians a year. If they
relax pot laws, politicians might fuel a new health crisis whose
victims could show up with life-threatening illnesses decades from
now.

A report prepared for Health Canada, based on research from 16 focus
groups in Regina, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax says teens believe pot
is less harmful because they've heard many more warnings about the
dangers of tobacco and second-hand smoke. Health Canada says it will
follow the report's suggestion that a separate health message is
needed to alert teens to the health risks of pot smoking.

While marijuana supporters tout studies showing the weed's supposed
harmlessness compared with tobacco, we prefer the cooler assessment of
the Canadian Cancer Society. It states: "While recognizing that there
are limitations to the

current evidence, the Canadian Cancer Society believes there is
sufficient research to suggest an increased risk of cancer associated
with long-term smoking of marijuana."

Noting that cigarette and marijuana smoke contain as many as 50 of the
same cancer-causing substances, the society recommends that "exposure
to marijuana smoke should be avoided". It says pot smokers inhale more
deeply and hold the smoke in their lungs longer than cigarette
smokers, with some studies suggesting three or four joints a day are
equivalent to 20 cigarettes.

Parliament should also heed the fears of the Canadian Council of Chief
Executives that increased marijuana use could lead to workplace
injuries, absenteeism and poor job performance.

Rightly or wrongly, teens see little difference between
"decriminalization" and "legalization". Neither is desirable.