Pubdate: Thu, 19 Sep 2002
Source: Record, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2002 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.royalcityrecord.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1654
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?218 (Canadian Senate Committee on 
Illegal Drugs)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

POT DEBATE MISSES MARK

What the Heck Were They Smoking?

The proposal by a Senate committee this week to legalize and regulate pot 
is certainly worth some debate, particularly given the $2-billion estimated 
tax windfall. But we question the wisdom of proposing that anyone 16 and 
older should be allowed to use it.

The Senate committee recommends treating marijuana the same as cigarettes. 
But marijuana, unlike tobacco, is a mind-altering drug.

Some immediate physical effects of marijuana include a faster heartbeat and 
pulse rate, bloodshot eyes and a dry mouth and throat - pretty much the 
same effects as smoking.

However, studies of marijuana's mental effects show that the drug can 
impair or reduce the user's short-term memory, alter sense of time, and 
reduce the ability to do things which require concentration, swift 
reactions and co-ordination, such as driving a car or operating heavy 
machinery.

A major concern about marijuana is its possible effects on young people as 
they grow up. Marijuana can interfere with learning by impairing thinking, 
reading comprehension and verbal and mathematical skills. Research shows 
that students do not remember what they have learned when they are "high." 
It's a no-brainer that being stoned is not conducive to learning.

Furthermore, research shows that the earlier people start using drugs, the 
more likely they are to go on to experiment with other drugs. Granted, for 
some people this could simply be because marijuana is not legal and there 
is a certain sense of rebellious excitement in using it.

Nonetheless, do we really want to allow a 16-year-old to spend his school 
lunch hour smoking a joint, returning to school for his algebra class with 
a buzz on?

Adults will do what adults want to do and will take responsibility for it - 
and that's where the debate over legalized marijuana should begin.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager