DRUG TESTS WEED OUT ABUSERS

Smoking Pot Just As Dangerous As Cigarettes

Editor:

Re: Let's face it, marijuana is harmful, Feedback, the Observer, Nov. 5.

I compliment the very good letter from Todd that puts a somewhat
different light on marijuana use, compared to the benign and
innocuous herb as it was described by another Observer letter writer.

The Observer ran another good letter which appeared some issues back,
however, that writer took issue with a local mill requiring a drug
test from a job applicant.

He suggested no action be taken until that employee makes a mistake.
I trust it would not be a fatal mistake.

I would not like to work alongside an employee at a mill, who is a
regular marijuana user, and who is operating dangerous machinery or equipment.

In a similar vein, let's take an example - an airline pilot, a train
engineer, a transit bus or school bus driver, a taxi driver, a member
of our armed forces, whether at home or overseas, or one of thousands
of police in this country.

Should mandatory and regular drug tests apply to them? I would
certainly think so.

In all the letters that have appeared on this subject, no one has
mentioned yet another danger of smoking pot.

An article published in one of Vancouver's daily newspapers stated
"smoking three joints will cause you to inhale the same amount of
toxic chemicals as a whole pack of cigarettes, according to research
published today." And "cannabis smoke contains seven times more tar
and carbon monoxide as tobacco smoke and twice the amount of benzene
and three times the amount of toluene, as if they were smoking a
regular cigarette." These are researched facts.

This is why a drug test will show chemicals present in your system,
even weeks after you have stopped using it.

Alcohol will be flushed out of your system in 24 hours, however,
chemicals in cannabis marijuana will remain embedded in your bodily
tissues for weeks. Your system cannot readily flush them out. And I'm
not saying alcohol is not harmful.

Paul Drescher

Kersley