Pubdate: Wed, 06 May 1998
Date: 06/05/1998
Source: The Dominion (Wellington, NZ)
Author: David Hadorn

I was surprised and disappointed by the journalistic standard
displayed in your feature "Cannabis more dangerous than suspected"
(May 26).  I had thought the The Dominion, perhaps alone among New
Zealand newspapers, understood the importance of accurate and balanced
reporting on drug issues.

The story was based on an article written by two individuals with
neither medical nor pharmacological expertise for a magazine which,
unmentioned in your article, is basically a propaganda vehicle for the
Lyndon LaRouche empire.

LaRouche is a well-known American right-wing extremist and frequent
fringe presidential candidate who is much enamoured with cold fusion
and other aspects of junk science.

Even had the article in question been published in a respectable
journal, your report should have placed this study in the context of
international research, which shows quite clearly that the effects of
cannabis on cognitive and brain function are less severe than many
other commonly available drugs, including alcohol.

The obligation of journalists to do more than simply accept at face
value stories purporting to provide facts relevant to important public
policy debates is perhaps especially important when the subject is
about to be studied by a parliamentary select committee, the Cannabis
and Mental Health Committee.

In effect, The Dominion made an informal submission to this committee
with publication of the article occurring just three days before the
deadline for submissions.

David Hadorn