SENSIBLE DRUG USE ISN'T HARMFUL

The Editor:

Re: Student sees damage done by drugs (Dec.11). Way to 'phone it in' there,
kid. I get the impression that he isn't sorry about using pot, only sorry he
got caught.

I wonder if this student knows that even when smoked, the benefits of
marijuana use far outweigh any dangers. Recent science out of Germany,
for example, even shows how cannabinoids stimulate the body's
production of TIMP-1, which helps healthy cells resist cancer
invasion: www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20071226/pot-slows-cancer-in-test-tube

That is right: pot fights cancer! Not to mention it is a proven
treatment for ailments such as HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer's, morning
sickness, ADD/ADHD, migraines, nausea, anorexia, arthritis, cachexia,
Crohn's, epilepsy, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, gout, chronic pain,
spasticity, and Parkinson's.

There is also a misconception in our society that suggests that only
drug-abstinence is to be encouraged and admired. Telling kids to
"never" use certain drugs is like telling them to never see a certain
genre of movie, never go to an amusement park or exotic country, or
never do anything at all that may be both risky and fun. It teaches
them to be afraid of new things, instead of curious, and as history
has shown, fortune favours the adventurous.

Sensible, moderate, well-informed drug use is no more harmful,
dangerous, or immoral than any one of dozens of other activities
humans participate in every day. Including high school sports!

So if you think 'drugs' have nothing good to offer society, then throw
away every CD you own.

Russell Barth, federal medical marijuana user, Nepean, Ont.