MORE DRUG NONSENSE

The article Oral Drugs and SLO County Kids (New Times, 08/22/02) "reported"
a discrepancy between the reality of SLO County's teen drug use and our
perception of it. The "reality" this article talks about is from surveys.
So-called anonymous surveys that rely on the self-reporting of drug use are
virtually worthless in this age of zero tolerance.

The kicker, though, was the closing quote alleging that marijuana today is
10 times stronger than marijuana in the 60's and 70's. This new myth is
intended to scare adults who understand that reefer madness claims are
untrue. Anyone who uses a bit of logic knows that cannabis is an ancient
plant which has not suddenly developed into turbo psycho weed.

Government potency testing of cannabis did not begin until the early 1970's
and no private testing is currently allowed. Strike the 60's comparison.

In 1972, the first year of official government testing for the THC level, a
small sample of marijuana of unknown origin, but probably Mexican, averaged
only 0.18% THC. This is below the level of industrial hemp, but this number
is often used as the base for comparison to justify the high multiples.

Jo-D Harrison, DrugSense, Santa Maria