Pubdate: Wed, 02 Feb 2005
Source: Nelson Mail, The (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2005 Independent Newspapers Limited
Contact: http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/indexLite/1,2487,0a9,FF.html
Website: http://www.nelsonmail.co.nz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1069
Author: P Baldwin

THE MERITS OF CANNABIS

Sir, Julian Crawford's argument (Mailbox, January 19) that there is nothing 
dopey about cannabis and that cannabis is used for intellectual stimulation 
cannot be used in broad sweeping statements to justify making this class C 
drug legal.

Professor Grinspoon of Harvard Medical Scholl may thoink he had been 
brainwashed and now believes  non users behave irrationally. If only the 
results of a 15 years old boy coming home "stoned" and behaving in a very 
"dopey" way, were all we had to deal with, you could be forgiven for 
thinking, "what are we worrying about"?

It's the next phase that isn't pretty-watching abnd having to deal with the 
withdrawal from being "stoned". It's very hard to relate to someone so 
depressed and miserable that they contemplate suicide, and I, a non  user, 
am happy not to be in that space. The withdrawal process is completed by 
the return of a happy-go-lucky teenage boy (with all of the usual teenage 
problems).

I'm not dismissing the merits of cannabis use fore medical conditions which 
modern medicines don't seem to assist: but cannabis use doesn't benefit 
everyone. As to whether it is addictive or not, it certainly isn't for the 
use of the many.

P Baldwin,
Nelson
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