POT HEADLINE MISLEADING

The Winnipeg Free Press did its readers a disservice by giving the April 2
article on the latest marijuana research a sensationalist headline (Hey
dude, where's my IQ? Time to butt out). That heavy marijuana use can cause
short-term memory problems is hardly news. Anyone who uses drugs daily,
whether it's alcohol, pot, crack, prescription painkillers or all of the
above, is going to experience some negative consequences.

The real story here is that marijuana has no long-term effect on
intelligence. The same cannot be said of alcohol. Just one night of heavy
boozing can cause permanent brain damage and even death. Compared to legal
alcohol, marijuana is relatively harmless. Carleton University researchers
concluded that "marijuana does not have a long-term negative impact on
global intelligence." Yet anyone who scanned your headline is left with the
impression that pot lowers IQ.

A better headline would have been, "Reefer madness myth refuted." Indeed,
every reefer madness myth that led to marijuana's prohibition has been
thoroughly debunked. As a resident of the former land of the free and
current record holder in citizens incarcerated, I'm resigned to U.S.
newspapers parroting the tough-on-some-drugs party line. I expect more from
Canadian newspapers and hope the Winnipeg Free Press will resist the urge
to sensationalize in the future.

ROBERT SHARPE, Program Officer, Drug Policy Alliance, Washington, D.C.