MARIJUANA 'LESS HARMFUL'

I'm writing about Marc Zienkiewicz's thoughtful column "War on drugs
going to pot" (July 13). Most drug war cheerleaders proclaim that if
marijuana were re-legalized, pot use would skyrocket. I believe that
the Netherlands example shows that this probably would not happen.
But suppose that pot use did increase. Suppose pot use by adults
doubled. Would this necessarily be bad? I submit that it would not.

As pot use increases, alcohol use decreases. Most marijuana users
don't drink alcohol, but those who do drink alcohol, drink
substantially less than non-marijuana users. I believe that most
doctors would agree that heavy marijuana use is a lot less harmful
than heavy alcohol use. Heavy alcohol use can and does kill. No
amount of marijuana use has ever killed anyone.

Kirk Muse

Mesa, AZ