Fern Shen [Metro, Feb. 22] did a fair job of citing the Institute of
Medicine (IOM) report on marijuana, but she erred in allowing Maryland
Del. Thomas E. Dewberry to use the alleged "gateway effect" as reason
to oppose its use. The IOM report stated that there is no gateway. If
there were, then alcohol and tobacco would be the true gateways, as
most who use marijuana, cocaine or heroin had taken those drugs first.

CHRISTOPHER A. JOSEPH,
Parma, Ohio