Pubdate: Fri, 14 Feb 2014
Source: Kalamazoo Gazette (MI)
Copyright: 2014 Sheree Gravely
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/vggfBDch
Website: http://www.mlive.com/kzgazette/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/588
Author: Sheree Gravely

JULIE MACK'S COLUMN ON SMOKING POT IGNORES REAL DANGERS

I find it sad that Julie Mack so often refuses to take full
consideration of issues.

Her recent statement that "from a health standpoint marijuana may be
less dangerous than alcohol" shows a clear misunderstanding of the
risk for chronic pot smokers that legalization will most likely bring.
Let's be clear that marijuana usage (outside of true medical usage) is
at least as dangerous, if not more, than alcohol.

The reasons are clear:

1. The primary reason to smoke pot is to get high. Therefore, anyone
smoking it is attempting to achieve a high, which impairs his or her
judgment. There are many occasions when alcohol is consumed with no
intention to get intoxicated

2. Pot and its chemical ingredient THC stays in the system for days
and months for smokers. This means that those who start out just
getting high occasionally, become constantly high after regular pot
usage. The drug is found in their body up to 90 days after quitting.

3. Pot is clearly a gateway drug. If you speak to clinicians in the
rehab of drugs like heroin and cocaine, almost all will say that their
clients started with pot.

4. Today's pot is five times more potent that the pot that was smoked
in the 1970's.

5. People who become chronic pot smokers don't have the same
achievements as people who don't use it chronically.

Mack's general dismissal of problems surrounding the legalization of
pot is concerning. Just as we have strengthened restrictions on
alcohol and other intoxicants, we should avoid any suggestion that
relaxing restrictions on this intoxicant is a good thing.

Sheree Gravely,

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MAP posted-by: Jo-D