MARIJUANA CARRIES REAL HEALTH RISKS

Re: "Europeans know that drug abuse is an illness and not a crime," Oct. 23.

That drug abuse is an illness not a crime is not an argument to make
marijuana freely available. To clarify the dangers of marijuana use:

Ottawa Citizen columnist Margret Kopala wrote about the issue in the
Oct. 9 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

In her article, Kopala refers to a 2007systematic review published in
the highly regarded British Lancet on cannabis use and the risk of
psychotic or affective mental health outcomes. According to this
meta-analysis, all users are at risk of developing mental illness and
14 per cent of British patients with schizophrenia could have avoided
the illness if they had not used the drug.

Kopala goes on to discuss drug interaction and genetic predisposition
and concludes that, in the light of the high level of cannabis use
found in our 15- to 24-year-olds by the Canada Addiction Survey, the
withdrawal of the marijuana decriminalization bill in 2005 was
probably the right decision. She applauds the launching of an
anti-drug campaign by the government and exhorts medical and other
involved communities, including the media, to gather data and educate
and inform the public, particularly the young. I agree with her.

M. William Davis, MD

Victoria