Adverse effects of cannabis can be largely eliminated via careful use
of the common supplement melatonin.

The symptoms of fogginess and memory loss Joseph Howard blamed on pot
[letters, May 24, "Skip the pot, get a life"] are even more evident
with the legal substance ethanol. We call it a hangover, and
sublingual melatonin - twice a night - knocks that out, too. Ditto the
crash of speed, "E", and the toxicity of over-caffeination, which
we've all suffered from. Almost all psychoactive substances - legal
and illegal - strip the system of melatonin, producing a nation of
irritable, nasty-tempered insomniacs.

Melatonin replaces the dream sleep lost through marijuana, alcohol and
other "party drugs," and - as researchers are now finding out - REM
sleep is vital to consolidation of long-term memory, reduction of
cravings and proper mood. One in 20 people has to discontinue use,
however, because the dreams are too vivid.

Wouldn't a medical approach of treating the problem with supplements
and vitamins, instead of prisons, save a lot of money?

Or am I missing something here?

Joe should mellow out.

Dana Beal,
Cures Not Wars,
New York City

[Editor's note: A letter printed in our May 24 issue by Joseph Howard
- "Skip the pot, get a life" - apparently created a firestorm of
controversy across America, after being posted on Web sites such as
the one run by the Media Awareness Project. Because of the number of
responses, some of the letters below are appearing only online.]