POT BENEFITS OUTWEIGH ANY POTENTIAL DANGERS

Dear Editor:

Re: Young, chronic pot smokers more at risk, Burnaby NOW, July 14.

Why are we trying to prevent marijuana use? Even when smoked, the
benefits far outweigh any dangers.

Pot reduces stress, it lowers blood pressure, relieves anxiety, is an
anti-inflammatory, and recent science out of Saskatchewan shows how
pot actually stimulates tissue growth in certain sections in the
brain. Other science shows how pot shrinks tumors and prevents cancer.
Look it up.

All this hokum about mental illness has been exaggerated and
repeatedly debunked.

Face it - marijuana isn't illegal because it is "dangerous," it is
illegal because it presents stiff market competition to dozens of less
effective medicines. The public is being bamboozled on an epic scale.

Russell Barth, drug reform analyst,

Educators for Sensible Drug Policy