Pubdate: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2013 The Toronto Star Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456 Author: Natalie Reisman Breger Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n385/a03.html POT: TO LEGALIZE OR NOT Re: Legalizing pot, endorsing stupidity, Aug. 7 I think there is a valid debate to be had concerning legalization of marijuana and the many issues surrounding it, but providing misinformation through a well respected newspaper only hinders the national conversation. Here is a list of few of inaccuracies and logical fallacies in DiManno's column: 1. She says "not a single habitual user I know has been enhanced . . . by weed." This anecdote is hardly a thorough study of whether marijuana is a useful substance. But more importantly, it oddly frames the issue of legalization over whether a certain substance makes someone a better person to be around or somehow "augments" their personality. No one I know is enhanced by eating french fries, but that doesn't lead to the logical conclusion that they should be made illegal. Enhancement of personality is not a criteria for whether something should be legalized in our society, nor, I believe, is it one of Justin Trudeau's reasons supporting legalization. 2. While making the comparison in legality and black market issues between tobacco and marijuana, she fails to reverse the logic to explore what the situation would be if we criminalized tobacco. Would the situation with regards to the black market and access to minors be better than it is now? I think not. I think the black market for tobacco would increase in size and more tobacco would be in the hands of minors. The "ruthless" black market for cigarettes, used as a reason to not legalize marijuana lest it follow the same path, is never really compared to the massive, underground market for marijuana. A useful query would have been been whether the current black market for marijuana would be decreased by legalization of marijuana. Regardless of what I or DiManno thinks on the subject, a well researched piece should offer at lease some evidence to support a point. In the Netherlands use rates decreased for minors when large decriminalization efforts were in effect. Studies support the idea that legalization reduces drug related violence (which she references later in the article, failing to note there is rarely a "turf war" over tobacco). Here, and in other places in the article, DiManno ignores information in pursuit of her point. 3. "If nicotine is so destructive of health, surely marijuana is no better." Most studies actually indicate that marijauna has a significantly lower impact on health than cigarettes. Studies link marijuana and reductions in cancers and inflammation. I believe studies have shown that there is not a tie to lung and esophogeal cancers for smokers of marijuana (so long as they do not also smoke cigarettes). And there are a number of alternative methods for ingestion which do not include smoking at all, each of which has had no scientifc link to health issues. This point would be easy to have done some simple research into rather than leading readers to a false notion that nicotine and THC (which is really more equivalent than saying marijuana, the equivalent to which would be tobacco) have similar health implications. They simply do not. 4. DiManno fails to note that driving while "high" is already illegal. It is encompassed under "driving under the influence" charges. While she is correct that you cannot quantify levels of "dope impairment" in the same way an office can with a breathalyzer, officers are trained to determine levels of impairment in drivers through tests and behavioural observation and make determinations on that basis with regards to laying DUI charges. Legalizing marijuana would not mean legalizing driving while high. 5. "Trudeau advocates making government the pusher." There is quite a difference between a government-run marijuana operation "pushing" drugs on the population (presuming it would somehow do that, perhaps she was tainted by her experience with heroin dealers) and legalization of marijuana. It is neither fair nor accurate to say the government pushes alcohol, or tobacco, or even chocolate, simply because those things are legal and taxable under our system. Natalie Reisman Breger, Toronto - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom