PLENTY OF DOCUMENTATION PROVES MARIJUANA'S OKAY

Editor, The Record:

I must take issue with the information in the article Youth Drug Use
Increasing (March 27). Where is the documentation to back up RCMP
Staff Sgt. Chuck Doucette's statements?

He has confused his figures about Frankfurt, Germany. Drug-related
deaths dropped 9.6 per cent to 1,835. It was AIDS and crime that
dropped 50 per cent.

"No legitimate organization endorses marijuana as a medicine, has not
been approved by proper science" he said. Journal of the American
Medical Association Oct. 20, 1975 "Marijuana in controlling epileptic
convulsions referenced 12 studies. Journal of Neurology 1989 study,
"Effect of Cannabinoids on Spasticity and Ataxia in Multiple
Sclerosis" referenced 22 studies. New England Journal of Medicine
1995, "Antiemetics in patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer"
referenced 12 studies.

"Pot is physically and psychologically addictive," said Doucette.
Cannabis is 'about as addictive as caffeine' The Institute of Medicine
(March 1999).

Mr. Doucette claims cannabis is 15 to 20 per cent THC, up from three
per cent. The National Institute of Health's Marijuana Potency
Monitoring Project at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy
has analyzed 20,000 samples since 1974. Potency has almost doubled. A
low of 1.9 per cent to a high of 3.9 per cent. Fictional narratives
spring up easily and die down hard, particularly when the teller is
intoxicated with the power of a combat officer in the War on
Marijuana. Do I need to go on? The rest of the article is pure reefer
garbage.

Larry Seguin