Pubdate: Wed, 05 Oct 2005
Source: Arizona Daily Wildcat (AZ Edu)
Copyright: 2005 Arizona Daily Wildcat
Contact:  http://wildcat.arizona.edu/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/725
Author: Blake Rebling
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1571/a03.html

CANNABIS SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN TO BE A 'GATEWAY DRUG'

This letter is in response to Scott Patterson's column "The
legalization of marijuana is long overdue." He states that since there
is no reason to keep the drug illegal it should be legalized; however,
I disagree. There are most definitely reasons to keep it illegal.

First, he argues that it is ridiculous to call marijuana a gateway
drug, yet a scientific study of twins showed "individuals who used
cannabis by age 17 years had odds of other drug use, alcohol
dependence, and drug abuse/dependence that were 2.1 to 5.2 times
higher than those of their co-twin, who did not use cannabis before
age 17 years."

Second, the writer argues that because tobacco and alcohol are legal,
then marijuana should be as well, but it is hard to argue that those
two substances do not have negative effects. True, alcohol is a
longstanding element of western society and when used responsibly is
not very dangerous, but when one becomes a full-blown alcoholic or
tobacco addict, it is very detrimental to both their physical and
sometimes mental health.

Regardless of whether marijuana is more or less dangerous then tobacco
and alcohol, cannabis is a drug, and while the adverse effects of
marijuana use are within the range tolerated for other medications,
one only takes such medication if the great positive effects on one's
health outweigh these negative effects. You do not take these drugs if
you do not need them. Besides potential medical purposes, marijuana
isn't needed and should not be legalized.

As far as the potential economic benefits of a new (legalized)
marijuana industry, they are minimal and not worth the "adverse
effects," as the writer calls them.

Blake Rebling

political science and economics

sophomore
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake