Re: "Drinking is more harmful," Letter, Aug. 10.

Alcohol abuse is more deadly than marijuana use, since it can be fatal due to alcohol poisoning and organ failure. Alcohol withdrawal can be fatal. However, this doesn't mean that marijuana is a harmless drug.

Dr. Peter Nieman gives numerous valid scientific reasons as to why marijuana use is harmful. Common marijuana effects such as the decreased ability to learn and producing an amotivational state are not fatal, but are very much lifealtering, in a negative way. Recent studies showing an increased risk of psychosis and schizophrenia in marijuana users should be taken very seriously. Also, the body's endocannabinoid receptors were not built for THC, but for the body's own endogenous endocannabinoids.

Elena Walter

Calgary

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