WEED'S DANGERS IGNORED

The Sun has been printing a number of letters advocating
decriminalization of marijuana. It's astounding that there has been no
challenge to some of the false statements and assumptions contained in
those letters.

I have worked for over a decade as a substance abuse counsellor and I
can tell you that marijuana is anything but harmless. It's a drug
(just like alcohol) which alters brain processes and also impairs
motor co-ordination and normal intellectual functioning.

Regular use leads to powerful psychological addiction and physical
tolerance (where more and more of the substance is needed to achieve
the desired high). And if that isn't enough, it is even more damaging
to the lungs than regular cigarettes (where are all the
holier-than-thou non-smokers on this issue?). The sad truth is, for
regular, chronic users it becomes a convenient way to avoid dealing
with life by spending most of their day getting high. Safe and
harmless? Hardly.

David Taylor-Young

Winnipeg

(Seems a growing number of Canadians accept pot as the sin of choice
for some, as Crown Royal is for others. Your cautionary words are
therefore right on the mark.)