Pubdate: Wed, 03 Jul 2002
Source: Comox Valley Record (CN BC)
Copyright: 2002 Comox Valley Record
Contact:  http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/784
Author: Ian Lidster

CANNABIS IS A GATEWAY DRUG

Sir,

While I am not about to get into a debate about the virtues (or lack 
thereof) of marijuana use - it's one of those issues like abortion and 
capital punishment, about which people have fixed opinions, and they are 
unlikely to change - there are a couple of statements about cannabis in the 
June 26 letter by Ellen Rainwalker ('Nobody dies from marijuana') that 
should be addressed.

While Ms. Rainwalker is quite correct when she states that nobody ever died 
from an overdose of marijuana per se, she tends to trivialize cannabis to 
the status of an innocuous substance. Such an assertion is patently untrue 
at a number of levels. No psychoactive drug is harmless. The fact that it 
might not have directly caused a death is a red herring.

As an addictions counsellor and administrator of a recovery facility, I 
have dealt with clients who have been grievously, psychologically harmed by 
chronic pot use. More disquieting is her assertion that marijuana "is not 
addicting". In fact, it is. We have had clients at the Comox Valley 
Recovery Centre who are addicted to only one drug - and that drug is 
marijuana. Yes, there is no physical withdrawal, but the psychological 
withdrawal from the habituation can be quite devastating.

A couple of other points worthy of consideration. Marijuana is widely 
recognized as a 'gateway' drug in that it gives the user a certain tacit 
permission to experiment further with more devastating drugs. In that, it 
differs from alcohol in the sense that alcohol, which is indeed a 
powerfully devastating drug, both physically and psychologically, is at 
least legal. Therefore, the user has not taken the leap of breaking the law 
in order to acquire his or her substance.

Finally, it is worthy of consideration that the number of carcinogens 
contained in a marijuana joint vastly exceeds those in a tobacco cigarette. 
Therefore, the jury should probably remain 'out' as to whether or not 
marijuana use has actually resulted in death.

Ian Lidster
- ---
MAP posted-by: Alex