DON'T UNDERESTIMATE POSSIBLE DANGERS OF MARIJUANA ABUSE

Marijuana, an illegal drug, enjoys a peculiar status in British
Columbia, where its consumption is regarded as relatively harmless,
even socially acceptable.

But a new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
should shock us out of our sense of complacency over its potential hazards.

According to Antonio Maria Costa, head of the Vienna-based agency,
"the harmful characteristics of cannabis are no longer that different
from those of other plant-based drugs such as cocaine and heroin."

The reason? Today's marijuana is considerably more potent than ever before.

The UN estimates the drug is consumed by more than 160 million people
around the world -- of whom at least one million have sought medical
help to counter their dependency on it.

Panic attacks, paranoia and "psychotic symptoms" are increasingly
common, the report says.

Many regular cannabis users will scoff at these findings. And we tend
to agree that now is not the time to spread fear and hysteria.

But we should re-examine our benign attitude toward marijuana and the
message it sends to our kids, who are the most vulnerable to its
damaging effects.

Widespread acceptance of marijuana as a recreational drug does not
automatically give it a clean bill of health.

Some may think smoking pot is cool. However, we once thought that
about smoking cigarettes.