WEED NOT AS HARMFUL AS ALEKS, GOVERNMENT CLAIM

Re: "'Pusher man' Ryan must stop peddling drugs"

To the editor:

Aleks is someone who jumps to conclusions, loves his mommy a little
too much and lovingly sucks in information heard from sources that
are not unbiased (i.e. the government, whose purpose at the moment
regarding this matter is to stamp out marijuana use).

I say this not because I am a fiend for the "narcotic" (a term which
Aleks uses incorrectly, just as the Prohibition government of the
1930s did before him), but because I observe the world around me
objectively and seek to inform myself as much as possible before
making a decision.

I know two engineers in second year doing very well in their courses
who use cannabis to relax in their down time. I know various others
who have proven themselves perfectly competent and functional human
beings (contrary to the conclusions jumped to by Aleks) despite the
fact that they break the law once in a while.

Aleks makes several mean-spirited, uninformed assumptions and ill
wishes against a peaceful man -- Ryan "the evil pusher man" -- who
simply suggested that cannabis' effects are highly subjective,
ranging from beneficial to detrimental, and that it's up to us as
mature scholars to try this relatively harmless drug and make up our
own minds.

His "under the radar" suggestion, "don't knock it before you try it,"
was uttered specifically with cannabis in mind, which unlike heroin
and PCP -- references Aleks pulls out of god-knows-where -- is not
physically addictive.

The LD50 [toxicology term for "lethal dose"] of cannabis is lower
than aspirin, alcohol, and nicotine -- all considered drugs. It is so
negligible, in fact, researchers often have trouble reaching the LD50
point when experimenting with the toxicity of cannabis.

Who decides if a drug is legal or not?

The government, of course, under pressure from different groups (the
temperance/Prohibition movement being very active in the '20 and '30s
when marijuana policy was born). Governments don't make mistakes, do
they?

My point is that one merely has to look at facts and studies, such as
a broad notable study commissioned by [President Richard] Nixon in
the '70s, to see marijuana is not nearly the potent addictive
substance and killer the government would have you think.

In fact, there were over 6,503 alcohol-related deaths in Canada in
1996. The number of recorded cannabis deaths throughout history? Under five.

Dre,

Biology II