REEFER MADNESS

Freedom of speech and good judgment often come into conflict; it's
what keeps ethicists busy (But We Didn't Inhale - letters, June 21).
It's true that evidence on the adverse effects of marijuana is meagre,
but that only means that, to date, it hasn't been proved harmful, not
that it's harmless. Meantime, there's sound evidence that the brain
continues to mature into late adolescence; hence, it would be
extremely poor judgment to encourage high-school students to
experiment with a habit-forming, mind-altering drug.

Given his age, I can understand Kieran King's naive passion for truth
(Free Speech Goes Up In Smoke At School - front page, June 20), but
Mom's position eludes me. Many of us who were parents of teens during
the '70s and '80s "lived in the culture" but were nevertheless
grateful the schools were scaring the bejeebers out of our kids about
drugs. Yes, it was hypocrisy and, yes, it was censorship, but, all of
that notwithstanding, it was good judgment.

Irwin Silverman

professor emeritus of psychology, York University