Pubdate: Wed, 19 May 2010 Source: Albany Democrat-Herald (OR) Copyright: 2010 Lee Enterprises Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/HPOp5PfB Website: http://www.democratherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/7 Author: Greg Ranzoni CAN'T OVERDOSE ON GRASS America is at a crossroad. It has been for several years, and we have to make several important decisions. Do we move forward and choose some necessary evils that may or may not keep our country floating along or do we just button up and wait for the apocalypse to come? Mr. VonCannon wants to button up. In a May 14 letter, Michael VonCannon criticizes the legalize marijuana movement. I don't know VonCannon, but I will hazard to assume that he is of a generation that was shown "Reefer Madness" and bought all the government lies and propaganda hook, line and sinker on the "evils" of Mary Jane. It is an absolute fact that not one single person in the 5,000 years of use of marijuana has died from it. It is a scientific impossibly to OD on THC, while overdosing on alcohol (called alcohol poisoning) is a common occurrence. The concept that marijuana is a "gateway" drug is the government's fault because once people realize that they've been lied to about marijuana they assume that they've been lied to about heroin and cocaine. Yes, marijuana does have some harmful effects. It has far more carcinogens than regular cigarettes, but unlike tobacco, marijuana can suppress the side effects of chemotherapy and is a non-addictive painkiller. Short-term use is completely harmless, provided that you don't drive. As a side note, the United States Constitution, the supreme law of the land, was written on hemp paper. Greg Ranzoni, Albany - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart