Pubdate: Thu, 19 Sep 2002
Source: Intelligencer & Wheeling News-Register (WV)
Copyright: 2002 The Intelligencer & Wheeling News Register
Contact:  http://www.intellnews.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1633

SAD TRUTH ABOUT MARIJUANA USE

Advocates of legalizing the use of marijuana often use "medical" reasons as 
their wedge to drive loosening of narcotics laws. The city of Santa Cruz, 
Calif., is the latest to take the bait. This week the city held a "medical 
marijuana" rally featuring what are by now the usual suspects of such 
affairs: People complaining of "chronic pain" curable only by smoking a few 
marijuana cigarettes, as well as seriously ill people who naturally tug at 
heartstrings.

Ironically, the left coast rally came on the same day as a bit of 
much-needed truth-telling about marijuana back in Washington. John Walters, 
the Bush administration's drug policy director, held a press conference to 
warn Baby Boomer parents that their perceptions of marijuana are 
dangerously out of date. Many well-meaning parents believe marijuana is not 
addictive, that it's less harmful than tobacco, and that it has few 
long-term health consequences.

Those perceptions are exactly what drug pushers would like everyone to 
believe. The sad truth, Walters says, is that more teenagers are in 
rehabilitation centers for marijuana addiction than for all other alcohol 
and drug problems combined.

So much for chuckling off Johnny's experiments with marijuana.

Walters announced that a new anti-drug advertising campaign will focus on 
the hard facts about marijuana. Parents should pay close attention. For 
here's another uncomfortable fact: In a federal survey, one out of five 
eighth-graders reported having tried marijuana.

If you think your child or grandchild isn't one of those, then you might 
want to ask. Their future depends on hearing the frank truth.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens