I'D RATHER LISTEN TO RESEARCHERS ABOUT THE DANGER OF DRUGS

THE EDITOR:

At the Nov. 14 LEAP session, mention was made about the "wasted
dollars in anti-drug efforts."

But for those kids saved from drug addiction, this is hardly wasted
dollars.

Our fight against drug abuse and addiction is a struggle that should
be treated like any other social problem.

Would we give up on education or poverty simply because we haven't
eliminated all problems? Compared to the social costs of drug abuse
and addiction - whether in taxpayer dollars or in pain and suffering -
government, spending on drug control is minimal.

The legalization lobby claims drugs are no more dangerous than
alcohol. But drunk driving is one of the primary killers in North America.

Do we want our bus drivers, nurses and airline pilots to be able to
take drugs one evening and operate freely at work the next day?

Do we want to make drugged driving another primary
killer?

I was contacted by a pro-marijuana person who compared my stand that
"marijuana is a dangerous drug" to him telling me "that the earth is
flat."

There is proof that the earth is round, there is also proof that
marijuana is a dangerous drug.

Who should we believe about the danger of drugs? Researchers who are
concerned about the health of a nation? Or users who feel that they
have something to gain by the legalization of drugs?

I would side with the researchers who are looking after our
health.

If it is felt that marijuana must be used for medical reasons, there
is a safe version of medical marijuana which isolates the active
ingredient of THC. This has been studied and approved by the FDA in
the U.S. as a safe medicine. The difference is that you have to get a
prescription from a licensed physician. You can't buy it on a street
corner and you don't smoke it.

Eric Myrholm

Abbotsford