LET'S TELL KIDS THE TRUTH ABOUT DRUGS

(RE: "Drugs Of Choice," Jan. 13, here) Nancy Hicks is misleading people
when she says that 30 per cent of pot smokers develop an addiction. Where
is she getting this evidence?

This opinion flies in the face of all the recent hard science on the
subject, which has shown that cannabis is non-addictive.

Cannabis can be habit forming for some people, but so can TV, video games,
and chocolate. Caffeine is far more "addictive" and damaging to the body
than even heavy cannabis use. To people like Hicks, "all use is abuse," and
anyone who uses cannabis more than occasionally is an "addict." If
something like cannabis takes up to 20 years to developed a dependence on,
then it is hardly a danger to the public.

"Mark" on the other hand is a perfect case study of how misguided "Just Say
No" propagandist organizations like D.A.R.E. actually cause more harm than
good. If Mark had been told in frank, honest terms what each drug does and
the dangers involved, he would have been less curious.

But instead, adults lie and cajole, bully and threaten, and cover drug use
in taboos. "If you even try drugs, your life will be ruined and no one will
ever love you," seems to be the message that anti-drug groups want to
instill. It sounds more like a "no-drug cult" than an educational system.
Teens use pot a few times, they are told they are "addicts," then given
drugs like Ritalin to curb their pot-smoking tendencies. This hypocrisy is
not lost on kids.

"Jennifer," who said that information is something she wished that she had
had when she was in high school, was instead offered lies and propaganda.
She would probably do better to go to a Compassion Club and get some
medical marijuana to deal with her coke urges, instead of trading a street
drug cocaine addiction for a government-approved methadone addiction.

Kids, parents, teachers, and everyone else would do well to have a look at
the Educators For Sensible Drug Policy website www.efsdp.org to get the
straight truth about drugs. It is time to end the whole we/they mentality
of the Ronald Reagan era, and just tell kids the truth.

Russell Barth, Educators For Sensible Drug Policy, Ottawa