Pubdate: Fri, 23 Nov 2007
Source: Gazette, The (London, CN ON Edu)
Copyright: 2007 The Gazette
Contact:  http://www.gazette.uwo.ca
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2548
Author: Dre
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n1326/a01.html?99912

WEED NOT AS HARMFUL AS ALEKS, GOVERNMENT CLAIM

Re: "'Pusher man' Ryan must stop peddling drugs"

To the editor:

Aleks is someone who jumps to conclusions, loves his  mommy a little
too much and lovingly sucks in  information heard from sources that
are not unbiased  (i.e. the government, whose purpose at the moment
regarding this matter is to stamp out marijuana use).

I say this not because I am a fiend for the "narcotic"  (a term which
Aleks uses incorrectly, just as the  Prohibition government of the
1930s did before him),  but because I observe the world around me
objectively  and seek to inform myself as much as possible before
making a decision.

I know two engineers in second year doing very well in  their courses
who use cannabis to relax in their down  time. I know various others
who have proven themselves  perfectly competent and functional human
beings  (contrary to the conclusions jumped to by Aleks)  despite the
fact that they break the law once in a  while.

Aleks makes several mean-spirited, uninformed  assumptions and ill
wishes against a peaceful man --  Ryan "the evil pusher man" -- who
simply suggested that  cannabis' effects are highly subjective,
ranging from  beneficial to detrimental, and that it's up to us as
mature scholars to try this relatively harmless drug  and make up our
own minds.

His "under the radar" suggestion, "don't knock it  before you try it,"
was uttered specifically with  cannabis in mind, which unlike heroin
and PCP --  references Aleks pulls out of god-knows-where -- is not
physically addictive.

The LD50 [toxicology term for "lethal dose"] of  cannabis is lower
than aspirin, alcohol, and nicotine  -- all considered drugs. It is so
negligible, in fact,  researchers often have trouble reaching the LD50
point  when experimenting with the toxicity of cannabis.

Who decides if a drug is legal or not?

The government, of course, under pressure from  different groups (the
temperance/Prohibition movement  being very active in the '20 and '30s
when marijuana  policy was born). Governments don't make mistakes, do
they?

My point is that one merely has to look at facts and  studies, such as
a broad notable study commissioned by  [President Richard] Nixon in
the '70s, to see marijuana  is not nearly the potent addictive
substance and killer  the government would have you think.

In fact, there were over 6,503 alcohol-related deaths  in Canada in
1996. The number of recorded cannabis  deaths throughout history? Under five.

Dre,

Biology II
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MAP posted-by: Derek