October 13, 2007 at 13:07:31

Reefer Madness is Dangerous

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By Walter F. Wouk (about the author) Page 1 of 1 page(s)

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For OpEdNews: Walter F. Wouk - Writer

In a letter to a local paper (The Daily Star - Oneonta, NY. October 8 ) entitled, "Marijuana use is harmful," anti-cannibis crusader, Miriam Brown, claims that, "Marijuana can lead to addiction, anti-social behavior and health problems'' -- yet she does not cite a single peer-reviewed study proving any serious detrimental effects for the vast majority of individuals who use marijuana. She doesn't because those studies don't exist.

A 1999 study by the National Academy of Sciences concluded that, "Few marijuana users develop dependence." Some do, "but they appear to be less likely to do so than users of other drugs (including alcohol and nicotine) and marijuana dependence appears to be less severe than dependence on other drugs."

According to a 1994 National Institute on Drug Abuse study, marijuana's addictive qualities are about the same as caffeine. Brown also claims that, "There are a significant number of deaths that result from people driving under the influence of marijuana." Yet there's no evidence to support that allegation.

A 2005 study led by Dr. Carl Soderstrom at the University of Maryland School of Medicine concluded that drivers who test positive for marijuana in urine are no more likely to cause accidents than drug-free drivers.

Similarly, a 2002 review of seven separate studies involving 7,934 drivers reported that, "Crash culpability studies have failed to demonstrate that drivers with cannabinoids in the blood are significantly more likely than drug-free drivers to be culpable in road crashes."

The truth is: the most significant danger associated with marijuana use is the federal government's 70-year-old war on the Cannibis plant.

A government that wages war on a plant is not only dysfunctional -- it's dangerous.

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