Dope Debate

To the editor:

In his recent letter to your publication ("Dope disaster," Sept. 20),
Carl Friedman states that "marijuana is without question addictive and
a gateway to 'hard stuff.' " Perhaps he can tell us where he gets such
information. Could it be that he is just repeating the same lies he
has been hearing from the police for the past several decades?

In 1999 the National Institute of Medicine undertook a study of
marijuana under orders from then drug czar Barry McCaffery. The
conclusion drawn by this group of doctors and scientists was that
marijuana is not physically addictive nor is it a gateway to harder
drugs. In fact, every government-run study of marijuana from the
LaGuardia Commission to the recent findings by the Canadian Senate
have concluded that marijuana is not addictive nor a gateway drug.

To state that marijuana is, without question, addictive and a gateway
drug is a lie, pure and simple. The people who make such claims have
obviously never read any of the voluminous body of scientific research
regarding the use of marijuana.

MATTHEW HOGG

BURLINGTON, VT.