THE POTENT-POT MYTH

Re: Is pot far more potent than in the past?, March 19.

Both weak and strong marijuana will yield the desired result. Since potent
marijuana requires significantly less smoke inhalation, it's actually less
harmful.

The potent-pot myth that was exposed by Dan Gardner is great for scaring
parents into supporting the never-ending drug war, but it can also cause
teenagers to question the credibility of anti-drug messages.

Like any drug, marijuana can be harmful if abused, but that's not the
point. Teenagers who realize they've been lied to about marijuana may make
the mistake of assuming that harder drugs like heroin are relatively
harmless, too. This is a recipe for disaster. Anti-drug messages must be
reality-based or they may backfire when teenagers are inevitably exposed to
drug use among their peers.

Robert Sharpe,

Washington,

Common Sense for Drug Policy