BILL'S DETRACTORS FAIL TO SEE DANGERS MARIJUANA USE POSES TO SOCIETY

After years of treating addicts, I guess I shouldn't be surprised at the
lengths some people will go to in order to defend drug abuse. The arguments
utilized by Finkelstein and Parker simply don't hold water ("Marijuana bill
would overwhelm police," April 6).

Fact: One reason for Alaska's high rates of violent crime and child abuse
is Alaska's high rates of the abuse of alcohol, marijuana and other drugs.
The usage of such substances greatly reduces the likelihood of one's
compliance with the law or with society's rules of behavior.

Fact: Marijuana may be "just an herb," but so are deadly nightshade,
oleander, foxglove, nux vomica (from which we get strychnine) and devil's club.

Fact: Marijuana is not benign. It causes serious lung damage, impairs
judgment, causes permanent brain damage and greatly interferes with depth
perception (Just how far away is that other car?).

Fact: The possession or use of marijuana is not an issue of privacy. It is
an issue of drug abuse, pure and simple. Even if its users are not involved
in violent crime or child abuse, the rest of us will still have to pay for
many of the medical costs incurred by marijuana users, including the
treatment of emphysema and cancer.

Readers who wish to obtain further information may wish to check out the
Web site www.nida.nih.gov.

- Jan Eric Kiele, M.D.

Anchorage