GOVERNMENT ADS EXAGGERATE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy recently launched a
newspaper ad campaign purporting to warn parents of the dangers of youth
marijuana use. These ads, which cost taxpayers over $150 million per year,
are little more than scare tactics, spreading misinformation and distortions.

For instance, the ads claim that more teenagers seek treatment for
marijuana than for all other drugs combined. This statement, while true, is
disingenuous at best: According to U.S. government statistics, most teens
in treatment for "marijuana abuse" are not in treatment because they were
found to be addicted, but because they were arrested and given a choice of
treatment or jail.

I find this a startling trend in our nation's social system. In fact, one
in four teens will have a felony drug conviction on their permanent record
as adults. This means that a quarter of our work force will not be able to
find productive work due to the war on people who use drugs.

The government has no business using tax money to spread distorted
information about marijuana. Exaggerating the harmful effects of marijuana
does nothing to prevent or reduce teen marijuana use. Such a tactic can
only backfire, causing teens to lose trust in everything authority tells them.