SCARE STORIES

To the Editor:

Your story, "Marijuana more addictive than many believe" (June 9, Northwest
Herald), failed to give readers the full picture.

In particular, it failed to note scientific doubts about the Journal of the
American Medical Association article purporting to show an increase in
marijuana abuse or dependence caused by increased "potency."

The article notes that people can be classified as "abusers" if they
experience "legal problems related to marijuana use." FBI arrest data shows
that during the period of the study, marijuana arrests skyrocketed from
fewer than 300,000 in 1991 to well more than 700,000 in 2001.

The increase in "abuse" simply may be the result of shifting
law-enforcement priorities.

The article also may have left readers believing that it is simply my
opinion that marijuana is less addictive than other, legal drugs.

In a study commissioned by the White House, the Institute of Medicine of
the National Acad-emy of Sciences reported that alcohol users are 60
percent more likely to become dependent on their drug of choice than
marijuana users. The institute stated that "few marijuana users become
dependent ... and marijuana dependence appears to be less severe than
dependence on other drugs."

All drugs, including marijuana, can be abused, but exaggerated scare
stories help no one.

Bruce Mirken

Director of communications, Marijuana Policy Project San Francisco