POT NOT HARMFUL OR ADDICTIVE

In regards to the Sept. 17 letters Don't legalize marijuana by Nicholas
Ermeta and Pot smokers become zombies by Erika Kubassek, these are the two
worst, most uneducated articles I've read yet about the subject. Read up
and study the topic before writing nonsense. Do you really believe that the
general public will believe obviously uneducated ramblers over the hundreds
of specialists and doctors who testified before the Senate committee on
illegal drugs and the committee itself? No way!

False statements such as "Marijuana is a harmful substance," "It is more
addictive than cigarettes and more hazardous to one's health," and "damages
brain cells and makes users go psycho" have been clearly proven to be false
by many medical journals. We hear every day in the news of people dying
from drinking and driving, failed livers caused by drinking and lung cancer
caused by cigarettes, but I dare you to find one death caused by smoking pot.

A statement suggesting that the THC in marijuana may promote a carcinogenic
effect is completely absurd. What was found by Doctor Louis Harris in
Analgesic and Anti-Tumor Potential of the Cannabinoids is that delta-8 THC,
delta-9 THC and cannabinol are quite active as anti-cancer agents. At the
time of Harris's research, no anti-cancer agent that was much more potent
than delta-9 THC existed and no compounds differentiated between tumour and
normal cells the way delta-9 THC does. Considering that delta-9 THC alone
increased survival in cancerous rats by 36 per cent, it seems very unlikely
that THC promotes carcinogenic effects. THC's known anti-carcinogenic
properties are probably the reason the Center for Disease Control in
Atlanta has never been able to trace any cancers to marijuana use. Let's
face it, pot is not harmful as stated by Ermeta and in fact has been proven
to reduce and even stop the spread of lung and many other types of cancer.
Hence the term "medical marijuana."

I also believe that Ermeta has no clue as to what make a substance
addictive. Any substance that raises our dopamine levels is considered an
addictive substance - alcohol, nicotine, chocolate and coffee - but pot
produces zero amounts of dopamine in the body.

There is no nicotine or any other form of dopamine-causing agents in pot;
one can become dependent on pot just like most of us are dependent on meat,
but that does not mean that meat is addictive.

THC occurs naturally in mammals. It is a fat-soluble molecule that attaches
itself to receptors in the brain and is cleaned out by fat particles, which
also occur naturally in our bodies. Marijuana's active ingredient, THC,
does not kill brain cells like alcohol does. It attaches itself to
receptors and then gets cleaned out at a rate of five per cent each hour.

Erika Kubassek wrote that driving or using machinery under the influence of
marijuana can be a real hazard and that pot smokers become "out-of-control
zombies. In regards to her first point she is right that there is a danger
but pot smoking already falls under our impaired driving laws and the
Senate committee has recommended that we toughen those laws regarding
marijuana use while driving. These changes should be done immediately
regardless if Canada legalizes pot as to ensure the safety of all
Canadians. If Kubassek is correct about her second point then that would
mean that close to 30 per cent of Canadians are of no benefit to our
country, which is completely absurd. Marijuana smokers are doctors,
lawyers, teachers etc. They are contributing members of our society and
should not be looked at as criminals or useless zombies.

Richard Laflamme

Cambridge