MARIJUANA LESS DANGEROUS THAN ALCOHOL

The drug war hypocrisy is infuriating. July 12th. two items from
Washington: First. Members of a key House panel rejected the idea of
expanding the anti-drug campaign to include any messages against underage
drinking of alcohol products.
Alcohol is the most popular illegal drug used by youngsters in Sonoma
County, and the rest of the country. It causes more violence and death than
all illegal drugs combined.

Second. While a congressional committee discussed the possible
decriminalization of marijuana for adults, it was killed due to reefer
madness statements made by Joseph Califano Jr. who heads the National
Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Due to
name recognition, and immense government grants, there are those who
can grab news headlines causing the public to believe whatever they
report.

Califano s "study" argued that decriminalizing of marijuana would
threaten millions of American children. (If marijuana were regulated
and only sold to adults in drug or liquor stores, it would be more
difficult for youngsters to obtain)

Califano: Increased likelihood of having unprotected sex with multiple
partners. (He refuses to compare such negatives with alcohol use. Date rape
and sexual promiscuity is invariably attributed to alcohol.)

Califano: Individuals who use pot are more likely to turn to heroin or
crack cocaine. (March 17th. the National Institute of Medicine, a division
of the National Academy of Sciences, like every other non-partisan study
confirmed that marijuana is not a "gateway drug."

Califano: Over 90,000 teens in 1996 who used pot were admitted for
treatment. (He neglected to mention most kids are forced into treatment
because they were busted for pot and had the choice of treatment, or
incarceration.)

Political contributions from alcohol cartels are guaranteed to keep
alcohol OK and marijuana a "dangerous drug."

As a cancer survivor, and the author of the hardback book, Marijuana: Not
Guilty As Charged, I have researched this issue for decades. Pot is not for
kids. However, it must be recognized that it is far less dangerous than
alcohol. Let s stop the misinformation.

David R. Ford,
Sonoma, CA