Pubdate: Thu, 27 Nov 2003 Source: Reno News & Review (NV) Copyright: 2003, Chico Community Publishing, Inc. Contact: http://www.newsreview.com/issues/reno/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2524 Author: Bruce Mirken Cited: Marijuana Policy Project ( www.mpp.org ) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/walters.htm (Walters, John) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1811/a12.html?2033 DOPE-SMOKIN' TEENS Re "Smokin' airwaves" [RN&R, News, Nov. 20]: If Nevada State Medical Association Director Lawrence Matheis really doesn't think that Nevada has a bigger use of marijuana by teenagers than Holland, he needs to spend more time studying the literature. The figures quoted in our commercial come from the most recent U.S. government figures and national Dutch surveys, and they are consistent with previous research findings. Readers should note that on the Web site, www.stopteenuse.com, the Marijuana Policy Project has done something that opponents of reform like Richard Gammick or White House Drug Czar's John Walters have never done: We not only list the source of our statistics, we've posted the full studies on the site--every word, every statistic, every footnote--for anyone who wants to draw their own conclusions. In fact, research has consistently found that criminal penalties are ineffective at reducing marijuana use. In a White House-commissioned study published in 2001, the National Research Council concluded, "In summary, existing research seems to indicate that there is little apparent relationship between severity of sanctions prescribed for drug use and the prevalence or frequency of use." Our current laws aren't working. Gammick and Walters may not like it, but it's time for an honest discussion, based on real data, of which approaches work and which don't. Bruce Mirken Marijuana Policy Project - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin