USE OF SCARE TACTICS IS BACKFIRING

Misinformation about marijuana, such as the recent column by Robert
Margolis, actually hurts the cause of those against the drug.

When I was a kid, I looked up marijuana in an encyclopedia and read that it
was a highly addictive drug that made the user want to commit violent acts.
As I looked around and saw that none of my friends was terrorizing society
or going through any withdrawal throes, I concluded that the info was just
another scare tactic of the older generation.

The article makes some good points about marijuana's effects, especially
about students and concentration, but coupled with the absurd statement
about addiction, the editorial sabotages itself.

If you want kids off marijuana, stress how it kills motivation and
concentration at a time when they need both attributes. Trying to scare them
with a false claim about addiction merely amuses them and has a reverse
effect. They're just not buying the idea.

JOHN HALSTEAD, Macon