Pubdate: Sun, 22 Jan 2006 Source: Mobile Register (AL) Copyright: 2006 Mobile Register Contact: http://www.al.com/mobileregister/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/269 Authors: Jack Tillman And Mark Barlow Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/author/Fraser+Ronald (Ronald Fraser) DON'T BELIEVE THE MARIJUANA HYPE In a Jan. 8 essay in the Register titled "Better off legalizing marijuana," Ronald Fraser of the DKT Liberty Project, a Washington-based civil liberties organization, advocated the legalization of marijuana in Alabama as well as the rest of the nation. He used data developed for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. On the surface, the idea of adding marijuana to the revenue stream may seem appealing. People tend to like the idea of "sin" taxes. But marijuana is not as "harmless" as tobacco or alcohol -- and the use of those substances can be extremely detrimental. Baby boomers who used to smoke pot and didn't become addicts tend to think of it as a "safe" drug, but today's marijuana makes the marijuana of the'70s look like ultra-light beer. The average THC levels have risen from less than 1 percent in the mid-1970s to more than 8 percent in 2004, and some marijuana can have a THC level of 20 percent or even higher. Smoking a joint deposits about three to five times more tar into the lungs than one filtered tobacco cigarette. Marijuana smoke also contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke, and produces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into malignant cells. But health issues aside, Fraser's argument tries to sell the idea that enforcement is too costly, and that everyone would benefit if marijuana was legalized and taxed. He asserts that this would result in better control of underage access/use, and more quality control. As we noted, however, today's marijuana is stronger. As for the question of underage access: Despite the laws regulating alcohol, we still see an alarming number of underage drinkers. Effecting change in that area has only come with increased education and enforcement. Talk to a narcotics officer and you will hear that very few people who abuse cocaine or heroin started with those drugs. Almost all of them started with marijuana. Does that mean a person who smokes marijuana will automatically move on to harder drugs? No, but the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that marijuana-using twins were four times more likely than their non-marijuana using siblings to use cocaine and crack cocaine, and five times more likely to use hallucinogens such as LSD. Further, the younger a person is when he or she first uses marijuana, the more likely it is that marijuana will go on to other drug use. One study found that 62 percent of the adults who first tried marijuana before age 15 were likely to go on to use cocaine. In contrast, only 1 percent or less of adults who never tried marijuana used heroin or cocaine. The worst thing that marijuana does to young people is destroy their enthusiasm. They get to where they have no interest in doing anything. If they play ball, they'll eventually quit. If they're on the student council, they'll start failing academically. They won't want to work. All in all, despite the professed economic advantages of legalizing marijuana, experience tells us there are far greater risks. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom