MARIJUANA LETTERS TAKE THE WRONG PATH

Three Aug 8. letters deal with the question of legalizing marijuana:

* David Ovans ("Defending Interests") suggests it's a conspiracy of "the
establishment," citing big corporate and public sector interests as the
driving forces behind marijuana laws.

Marijuana is illegal due to its negative impact. The American Psychiatric
Association lists a number of harmful mental effects caused by marijuana,
such as impaired judgment, sensation of slowed time, impaired motor
co-ordination, memory deficit, delirium, delusions, disorientation,
hallucinations, panic attacks, and paranoia. Symptoms of mania, depression
and schizophrenia are worsened.

* Matthew Elrod ("Cannabis Issues") quotes the judges in Ontario as saying
that marijuana is not addictive. Wrong. It is a physically addictive
substance, so those comments are proof positive that experts in law are no
experts in science.

Light marijuana users may recover in six months to a year. Heavy users have
taken as long as three years to clean the fat-soluble drugs from their
systems, although 100 per cent recovery is often not possible.

* Chuck Beyer suggests that Canadian drug laws should be decided by a
majority vote ("A Clear Majority").

To quote from American child and adolescent neuro-psychiatrist Dr. Robert C
Gilkeson: "The toxic properties of chemical molecules and their cellular
damage are not a matter of opinion or debate ... We cannot vote for or
against the `toxicity' of a drug. How much a drug impairs cell structure or
chemical function is neither subject to nor governed by congressional
committee, public referendum, or federal constitution. ... Chemically,
marijuana is a far more dangerous drug than most of the scientifically
ignorant media and North American consumer have been duped into believing."

Ken Lane, founding member, Canadian Communities Against Substance Abuse,
Victoria