Pubdate: Tue, 20 Feb 2018
Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB)
Copyright: 2018 The Edmonton Journal
Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134
Author: Alvin M. Schrader
Page: A8

NO LINK BETWEEN POT AND CAR CRASHES

I am quite suspicious about the headspace of the Journal editor who
captioned a brief article about a U.S. survey with the headline "Pot
holiday linked to fatal car crashes" (Feb. 13). Maybe their attention
span allowed them to only get as far as the first paragraph.

The next one explicitly stated that the survey being reported had
found absolutely no evidence of a link between pot smoking and car
crashes on the one day of the year studied from 1992 to 2016, which
was April 20, the day of the year adopted by activists to push for the
decriminalization of cannabis.

This reckless disregard for scientific accuracy is symptomatic of the
larger issue in Canada of the hysteria and fear-mongering being jacked
up by political opportunists around the impending legalization of
small amounts of the drug. My prediction is there will be absolutely
no increase in the percentage of Canadians who imbibe, and especially
not of those who smoke it.

All that the federal government is doing is removing the need for
Canadians, and especially vulnerable minorities, to fear police
harassment and criminal prosecution. So why don't we all take a deep
breath and wait for actual evidence.

Alvin M. Schrader, Edmonton
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MAP posted-by: Matt