Pubdate: Thu, 11 Apr 2002 Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Copyright: 2002 Winnipeg Free Press Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n649/a05.html?10743 Author: Robert Sharpe Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) POT HEADLINE MISLEADING The Winnipeg Free Press did its readers a disservice by giving the April 2 article on the latest marijuana research a sensationalist headline (Hey dude, where's my IQ? Time to butt out). That heavy marijuana use can cause short-term memory problems is hardly news. Anyone who uses drugs daily, whether it's alcohol, pot, crack, prescription painkillers or all of the above, is going to experience some negative consequences. The real story here is that marijuana has no long-term effect on intelligence. The same cannot be said of alcohol. Just one night of heavy boozing can cause permanent brain damage and even death. Compared to legal alcohol, marijuana is relatively harmless. Carleton University researchers concluded that "marijuana does not have a long-term negative impact on global intelligence." Yet anyone who scanned your headline is left with the impression that pot lowers IQ. A better headline would have been, "Reefer madness myth refuted." Indeed, every reefer madness myth that led to marijuana's prohibition has been thoroughly debunked. As a resident of the former land of the free and current record holder in citizens incarcerated, I'm resigned to U.S. newspapers parroting the tough-on-some-drugs party line. I expect more from Canadian newspapers and hope the Winnipeg Free Press will resist the urge to sensationalize in the future. ROBERT SHARPE, Program Officer, Drug Policy Alliance, Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl