CLAIM DISPUTED

Sandra S. Bennett's assertion in her Oct. 16 letter, "Marijuana is
dangerous," that marijuana is now a leading cause of drug-related
emergency room episodes, is just patently false.

A recently released and widely reported study by the government's own
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration finds that
the vast majority of drug abuse cases reported by the 417 emergency
rooms surveyed across the country was from over-the-counter and
prescription drugs. Marijuana wasn't even close to being the leading
cause, and there wasn't a single reported death.

Americans are now abusing prescription drugs more than cocaine. The
number of patients seeking treatment for abuse of prescription
opiates rose by an amazing 62 percent in the past three years.

This makes prescription opiates, like Oxycontin and Percocet, the
drug category with the highest number of new addicts. It is certainly
not marijuana, as Bennett states in her letter. The facts simply
don't back up any of Bennett's claims that imply marijuana is killing
either adults or children.

Steve Sarich

Everett