MARIJUANA A DANGEROUS MIND-ALTERING DRUG

I would like to take this opportunity to respond to the letter,
"Criminalization of marijuana ruins lives of good, responsible people," in
the Feb. 6 edition of the Manhattan Mercury. I am not personally attacking
the writer, nor am I desiring to criticize people who smoke marijuana.
People who smoke marijuana need help.

On the other hand, I am not going to mince my words concerning the truth
about marijuana.

Let us look at a few facts about the dangers of marijuana use from the
National Institute on Drug Abuse.

1. Marijuana is a very dangerous mind-altering (psychoactive) drug. (Much
more dangerous than aspirin.) The main active chemical it contains is THC,
but it also contains more than 400 other dangerous chemicals.

2. Marijuana is a big problem in our public schools. Among 12th-graders,
nearly 50 percent have tried marijuana at least once and about 24 percent
are current users.

3. Marijuana is a "gateway" drug because many people who use it often go on
to experiment with harder drugs such as cocaine, heroin or LSD. The risk of
using cocaine is more than 104 times greater for people who have tried
marijuana than for those who have never tried it.

4. The THC in marijuana is readily absorbed by fatty tissues in various
organs. Traces of THC can be detected by standard urine testing several
days after one smoking session. In chronic users, traces can sometimes be
detected for weeks.

5. Students who smoke dope damage their memory and capacity to learn.
Marijuana kills brain cells.

6. There is a strong link between marijuana use and unsafe sex and the
spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

7. Data shows that the mind-altering effect of marijuana plays a role in
fatal and nonfatal automobile accidents. The ability to judge distances and
speed and to react to signals is greatly impaired. Researchers have found
that of 150 reckless drivers who were tested for drugs at the arrest scene,
33 percent tested positive for marijuana. People who have smoked marijuana
show the same lack of coordination on standard "drunk driver" tests as do
people who have had too much to drink. People who smoke marijuana and
decide to drive kill other innocent people.

8. Marijuana plays a role in the development of cancer and problems in the
respiratory and immune systems. Someone who smokes five joints per week
takes in as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a pack of
cigarettes every day. Respiratory problems caused by marijuana include
chronic bronchitis, frequents colds, lung infections and pneumonia.

9. A pregnant or nursing woman who smokes marijuana will destroy the health
of her baby.

10. Marijuana is very addictive. In 1995, 165,000 people entering drug
treatment programs reported marijuana as their drug of abuse. Withdrawal
symptoms include restlessness, loss of appetite, trouble with sleeping,
weight loss and shaky hands.

11. Other side effects of marijuana use include rapid heartbeat, loss of
coordination, poor sense of balance, slower reaction time, raised blood
pressure, acute anxiety, paranoid thoughts and psychotic symptoms. A person
who overdoses will need emergency medical treatment.

12. Marijuana is involved in serious crimes each day around the world. This
is just a summary of the evil consequences of marijuana use. Entire books
have been written on the subject.

I know from personal experience the negative consequences of smoking dope.
In my first year of college I smoked it with two of my friends. All three
of us flunked out. Unfortunately, my two friends became so addicted to dope
that they ended up committing suicide. I was also involved in a very
serious car accident with a high school friend. At 55 mph, we missed a
telephone pole by two feet. My friend was driving and he was high on
marijuana when he lost control of the vehicle. Been there, done that, and
threw away the T-shirt.

My message to young people who are being pressured by peers to try
marijuana is to stay away from it and dump your friends who use it.

Any adult who smokes dope is a very poor role model for our young people,
regardless of social status. I have two young children and I would never
allow them to be under the supervision of any adult who professed to smoke
dope.

In my opinion, the laws against marijuana use should be even tougher.
Legalizing this junk would greatly increase its use among adults and young
people because of accessibility. We already have enough people in our
society addicted to alcohol and tobacco. We don't need dope sold on every
street corner. Every penny spent on marijuana prohibition is money well spent.

Not long ago President Bush stated that people who buy illegal drugs are
helping to finance terrorists. In other words, Americans who buy marijuana
illegally helped finance the terrorist attack on our country on Sept. 11.

The only way I could quit smoking dope was by becoming a born-again
Christian. I committed my life to Jesus Christ at a Billy Graham crusade in
Portland, Maine in 1982. Since that day I have had no desire for marijuana.
When the Holy Spirit comes into your heart, he provides all the joy and
peace you will ever need. Drugs and alcohol are just the devil's substitute
for the joy of having a personal relationship with God through faith in
Jesus Christ.

Mike Aldrich