IDEOLOGY HAS GONE TO POT

Re: The real dope on marijuana, June 29.

Thank you for your eminently sensible editorial noting the hypocrisy
and dishonesty of the statements on marijuana in the new UN World
Drug Report. As an American, I am disturbed to see my government's
fact-challenged obsession with marijuana infecting international
bodies, which should know better.

The data are actually beyond question: Marijuana is not only less
addictive than alcohol, it's far less toxic and in orders of
magnitude less likely to provoke violence or aggression.

When national and international policy on drugs is driven by ideology
rather than science, everyone suffers.

Bruce Mirken,

Washington

Marijuana policy project