Pubdate: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 Source: West Australian (Australia) Copyright: 2003 West Australian Newspapers Limited Contact: http://www.thewest.com.au Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/495 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n573/a11.html Author: Nikki Russell I DISAGREE M.A. LANDGREN'S letter on cannabis (23/4), seems to lack certain facts. Firstly I feel it must be pointed out that cannabis is not physically adddictive. Unlike cigarettes and alcohol, the body's cells do not change to accommodate cannabis. Put simply, this means that people who stop smoking cannabis do not go through withdrawal and have no physical cravings for cannabis. M.A. Landgren says that "cannabis users and the mental health system go together" and "particularly our youth". And will harsher drug laws stop this? The answer is no. All harsher drug laws do is waste police time and give young people needless criminal records. In Australia, people have a choice. I make choices between a glass of white wine or a glass of red, but that's OK because alcohol is legal and socially acceptable. However, alcohol is far more addictive than cannabis and responsible for more illness and death. M.A. Landgren also makes a rather silly comment: "It is not the adolescent who is bad but the drug they use". I put this statement to you M.A. Landgren: it is not the drug that is bad, but the harm associated with the drug that is bad. Drug harm is not minimised by harsher drug laws. People will smoke cannabis regardless. What the drug laws are doing is reducing the harm associated with using cannabis and diverting police time from petty cannabis use to more serious crimes. Softer drug laws also allow people who experiment with cannabis at a young age to excel into adulthood free of the stigmas of a criminal record. It is time for people to wake up and realise that harsh drug laws do not stop people using drugs. They only add to the problems these people already face. NIKKI RUSSELL, Mt Lawley - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl