HELPING ADDICTED KIDS

Re: "Marijuana not harmful? Not true" (Gazette, May 11).

There are those who view marijuana as a "soft" drug and dismiss the
notion its use is a gateway to harder drugs. Drugs do not discriminate
based on race, language, sex, etc., and there are many addicted kids
from "good homes" living on the streets of Montreal, doing anything
they have to to get through the day.

Do you think these kids woke up one morning and decided to throw away
their lives? No, in most cases it started with an "innocent" joint
offered to them by someone they trusted. Combined with alcohol and
peer pressure, this often leads to them taking the next step.

We at the Saving Station will reach as many kids as possible with our
message on the realities of substance abuse, and give them tools to
make the right decisions about drugs and alcohol.

Lorne Silcoff

Montreal