DRUG WAR GONE TO POT

MARIJUANA ISN'T A GATEWAY DRUG to heroin or cocaine. But neither is it
a relatively harmless recreational drug, as many Americans believe.

And telling youngsters to 'just say no' to drugs without examining the
facts behind marijuana use in the United States does no one any good.
These facts speak out loud and clear in a series of research reports
published in the British journal Addiction. Policymakers in Washington
should review them carefully before they decide where money should
best be spent on the 'war on drugs.'

The 'gateway' thesis that has long been a basic principle of drug
policy in this country was disproved by a study by the private,
nonprofit Rand Drug Policy Research Center in Santa Monica, Calif.
Americans may use marijuana at an earlier age than harder drugs, but
only because it becomes available at an earlier age, said the lead
author, Andrew Morral. Teens who are predisposed to use drugs do so
regardless of whether they smoked marijuana first.

But if it doesn't lead to those harder drugs, is it OK? Hardly,
judging from another report by American researchers. Today's marijuana
is three times as potent as the pot the baby boomers smoked in their
college years, and many teen-agers become dependent on it. It's now
the most prevalent illegal drug used in the United States and many
other countries. Heavy use is associated with difficulties in school
and work, health problems and, of course, involvement with the police.

Most worrisome: Youngsters are trying marijuana at earlier and earlier
ages, and those who start the youngest seem to end up with the most
problems. But which came first, the drug use or the criminal behavior,
depression and anxiety?

Regular youthful users of cannabis typically also smoke cigarettes and
engage in binge drinking, and have experienced physical, sexual or
emotional abuse. Clearly, there's more at work here than youthful
rebellion. Much marijuana use may be an effort at self-medication by
people whose lives are hard to bear.

The war on drugs is a popular political tool for officials seeking to
drum up support from the hard-on-crime crowd. But the hard science
suggests that much of the war has been a waste of time and money.
Worse, it has filled prisons with drug offenders while ignoring the
reasons so many Americans engage in substance abuse, legal or illegal.

With this many unanswered questions just involving marijuana,
Americans should demand a more logical approach to drug use and abuse.
Red ribbons on the playground fence look nice, but they haven't
reversed the younger and younger ages at which children experiment
with drugs.

Perhaps an approach based on the successful efforts to reduce smoking
and drunken driving might be best. We won't know until the politics is
taken out and the science put in to the war on drugs.