Pubdate: Fri, 10 Mar 2000
Source: Press, The (New Zealand)
Copyright: 2000 The Christchurch Press Company Ltd.
Contact:  Private Bag 4722, Christchurch, New Zealand
Fax: +64-3-364-8238
Website: http://www.press.co.nz/
Author: Jeff D. Upton
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n280/a03.html
Note: Headline by Editor

IDEOLOGY NOT SCIENCE

Sir-In November 1995, a Lancet editorial began, "The smoking of
cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health."

In November 1998, with laudable self-honesty, a Lancet editorial
proclaimed that "we will qualify our opinion of three years ago and
say that, on the evidence available, moderate indulgence in cannabis
has little ill-effect on health".

Bruce Logan (February 28) would do well to ponder such thoughtful
analysis, rather than make arrantly fallacious claims about cannabis
"staying in the blood for weeks", or "one joint a day causing
permanent brain damage".

Logan, Trevor Grice, and their ilk are spouting an ideology that has
nothing to do with science or medicine.

JEFF D. UPTON
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MAP posted-by: Allan Wilkinson