Gary Hines (Letters, Aug. 25) is correct that impaired driving is
impaired driving, no matter what the cause. However he is incorrect
when he assumes that legalizing marijuana will increase impaired
driving. As accepted by (Ontario) Justice John McCart, upon careful
consideration of the expert testimony given to him, marijuana use does
not increase in areas where it is decriminalized as compared to areas
where it is not. So, far from "(doubling) the danger of impairment"
after legalization, the danger of impairment would at worst remain the
same.

As for Mr. Hines's concern about second-hand smoke, he should relax.
Unlike cigarettes, marijuana smoke does not lead to decreased lung
function (UCLA, 1997) and does not come with increased mortality
(Kaiser Permanente, 1997).

Perhaps instead of calling for increased criminalization and
incarceration, Mr. Hines should get himself some education.
Imprisonment is not, and has never been, a solution to any drug
problem. It is expensive and damages society, users and non-users
alike, far more than drug use ever will.

Pierre Honeyman
Vancouver