Re: Remind your children marijuana is dangerous (Feb. 16).

In Louise Brown's column, Andrea Stevens Lavigne says, "Kids are too smart
for parents to lie to them." I couldn't agree more.
Why then, do we find the same old, discounted marijuana myths trotted out
in the rest of her column?

For example, Wayne Walker of the Hospital for Sick Children says that
marijuana "takes away any motivation" and is "also the stepping stone to
harder chemicals." How can these statements be reconciled with the fact
that even Ross Rebagliati, with all of his motivation taken away, could
still train hard and win a gold medal at the Olympics?

And, how do we approach the tired stepping stone theory, with the common
sense knowledge that while marijuana is the most popular illegal drug, the
majority of its users do not go on to other illicit drug use?

Similar lapses in logic can be found in public health nurse Carmen
James-Henry's assertion that marijuana is addictive. How can we (and our
children) take such an assertion seriously when the facts are that less
than 1 per cent of marijuana users in Ontario progress to daily use?
No one wants kids to use marijuana, or tobacco or alcohol, for that matter.

However, if the Rebagliati affair sends a mixed message to kids, lying to
them about marijuana is an even more dangerous mixed message, one that says
kids "can't trust anything I say about drugs."

A more productive strategy for a parent is to accompany their child to the
local library, where they can both research and discuss the facts, and get
away from simplistic, illogical drug education sound bites.

Dave Haans
Toronto, Ontario, Canada