Pubdate: Fri, 31 Mar 2000 Date: 03/31/2000 Source: Times, The (UK) Author: Robert Sharpe Referenced: URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n419/a07.html Sir, I know quite a few people whose lives have been ruined by drug laws, but no one whose life has been ruined by cannabis. Indeed, I know alcoholics who have turned their lives around by putting down the bottle and picking up the cannabis pipe. Granted, they may still have a substance abuse problem, but at least now they can get out of bed in the morning without a hangover and lead productive lives. Nor do they run the risk of drinking themselves to death. It is not possible to consume enough marijuana to die from an overdose. Imagine how many lives would be ruined if every alcoholic in the UK were thrown in jail and given a permanent criminal record. Robert Sharpe Students for Sensible Drug Policy, George Washington University 201 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Apt 701, Washington DC