TRY CRITICAL THINKING

Lyndon Lafferty outlined the horrors of marijuana, calling its use
the "path to total and absolute destruction." (Your Views, March 6.)
This is far from reasonable. The path to total and absolute
destruction is to believe a premise without further study and
without looking at all sides of the issue.

The medical benefits of marijuana are widely known. Appetite
stimulation and pain reduction for those undergoing radiation
therapy and relieving pressure in the lens of the eye for those with
glaucoma are the most well known.

Lafferty's letter is all fire and brimstone. These types of scare
tactics no longer work for the modern student, as we have been
learning the value of a supported argument since we were young in
school. You can thank your peace and freedom hippie friends for that!

An example of an argument not fully supported is that of: "There are
more toxic chemicals and poisons in marijuana than are in nicotine."
As I walk down the street and smell a person smoking a cigarette, I
am reminded that I may have just inhaled some of the carbon
monoxide given off as a tobacco leaf burns. Also, I am reminded that
in eight seconds, someone will die from a tobacco related illness
(www.costkids.org/tobacco/tobacco/factsheet.htm). In about eight
more seconds, another fallen tobacco user will join the first.
Meanwhile marijuana users across the world will continue to light
up, oddly unaffected by its toxic chemicals. In fact, there are no
reported deaths that have occurred solely from marijuana. Imagine that.

Lafferty outlines the types of marijuana users in one of his
paragraphs. Insane hippies are the first, drug addicts are the
second, prisoners and suicidal teens are the last. However, it is
important to wonder what circumstances brought these people to their
current state of despair. Most people who turn to drugs do so out
of desperation. They turn to them to escape the situations in their
lives pushing them to the brink. Drugs are a very personal choice
for someone seeking relief, although it may not be the best.

Basil Clinton

Vallejo