COPS STICK BY WATERED-DOWN FACTS

A condensed version of the facts in no way impairs the Canadian Police
Association's argument that pot is a "gateway" drug, says executive
director David Griffin.

In its submission to the special Senate committee that ultimately favoured
legalizing pot, the CPA cited a U.S. National Academy of Sciences study.

"Not surprisingly, most users of other illicit drugs have used marijuana
first," reads the police association brief. "In fact, most drug users begin
with alcohol and nicotine before marijuana - usually before they are of
legal age."

Excluded in the submission, however, is a later section from the study that
states pot "does not appear to be a gateway drug to the extent that it is
the cause or even that it is the most significant predictor of drug abuse."

But Griffin said by trying pot, people end up in contact with other illegal
drugs.

"It's a series of bad choices that lead to problem drug use. If you don't
open the marijuana door, you probably won't ever use those drugs."

"It is selective," said Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse Policy spokesman
Richard Garlick. The CPA's brief also selectively quoted one of the
centres' policy papers, he said. "In fact, if they were to quote the
conclusion of the study it would undermine their argument," said Garlick.

Still, the CPA is free to take whatever they want from a CCSA document -
they're open to interpretation, he said.

He noted the Senate committee's idea was to sever the link between
marijuana and more harmful drugs by making it legal, said Garlick - an idea
the CCSA supports.

The CPA has a stack of studies supporting the gateway theory, said Griffin,
who cited a 1994 Columbia University study which found adults who use
alcohol, tobacco or marijuana were 104 times more likely to use cocaine.