MARIJUANA'S HARM

Your Dec. 3 article "Study: Marijuana no gateway" said that marijuana is not
a gateway to harder drugs such as cocaine or heroin. The article indicated
that these results were based on the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse
between 1982 and 1994.

I hope that the survey data were statistically valid, especially given the
conclusions that were drawn and the message they send to young people.

Ironically, your article indicated that the Rand Institute, the private,
nonprofit research center that conducted the study, does not support or
condone drug use. Likewise, Rand reported that marijuana use leads to
short-term memory loss. If the people completing the surveys were pot
smokers, how would they remember if they had used harder drugs if their
memories had recently failed them?

As a public school educator working with at-risk kids, I have seen the
devastating effects of marijuana on young children and their families,
especially when it is laced with other drugs and additives. Sadly, this
lacing is quite common. The use of marijuana may not kill its users in the
short run; it will, however, certainly suck the life and initiative out of
them, which is a far worse gateway -- guaranteed.

Robert D. Livernois

Sterling Heights