Pubdate: Sun, 27 Apr 2003
Source: Amarillo Globe-News (TX)
Copyright: 2003 Amarillo Globe-News
Contact:  http://amarillonet.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/13
Author: Dr. Gordon Scott
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n571/a02.html?2015
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/tulia.htm (Tulia, Texas)
Note: (from Newshawk) Gordon Scott, a retired Tulia surgeon, has written a 
series of letters to regional papers in support of the Tulia drug 
sting.  His views have also been quoted in the Washington Post.  Scott was 
part of a discussion group I organized to encourage rational discussion of 
the drug sting and related issues.  After almost changing sides, Scott 
eventually decided to stand behind Sheriff Larry Stewart and undercover 
agent Tom Coleman.

POT-SMOKING ESPECIALLY HARMFUL TO TEENS

Regarding Greg Sagan's April 22 column, I have no interest in debating him 
about Terry McEachern's legal problems or the laws that govern the abuse of 
legal and illegal drugs.

However, I am in sharp disagreement with the suggestion that "smoking a 
joint in the privacy of one's home should not be considered 'drug abuse' 
any more than having a glass of wine with dinner."

This statement certainly does not hold true for teen-agers in their 
formative years. Most teen-agers experiment with alcohol, but very few 
become alcoholics or are involved in serious or fatal accidents. In 
contrast, smoking even one or two joints of marijuana daily over a period 
of several years has devastating long-term effects on young people.

Regular use of this drug arrests emotional development at a time when the 
young person needs to be excelling in school, making career choices, and 
developing interpersonal skills. Too often, the daily use of marijuana 
turns a personable, ambitious teen-ager into a depressed, rebellious, 
uncommunicative underachiever.

A 19-year-old surgical patient of mine in Albuquerque stated it succinctly: 
"I started smoking a joint a day when I was 14 and finally quit last year. 
Now I realize that I have the emotional maturity of a 14-year-old, and I'm 
scared to death!"

Gordon W. Scott, M.D.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart