Pubdate: Thu, 01 Sep 2005
Source: Texas Monthly (TX)
Copyright: 2005 Texas Monthly, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.texasmonthly.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2062
Authors: James Craig, Gary Olenkiewicz, Alfredo Ortega
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1053/a05.html

POT ROAST

The Drug Enforcement Administration sees the tragic reality of drug 
use every day, and it is a reality that leaves no doubt that drugs 
are illegal--and must remain so-- because they are dangerous, leaving 
only addiction and ruined lives in their wake. This year's drug 
control budget is $12 billion, and we are balancing prevention, 
treatment, and targeted enforcement against traffickers, and the 
return on our investment is significant. We've seen an 18 percent 
drop in teens' use of marijuana, because, unlike Mr. Cartwright, 
teens are learning the consequences of this drug. Marijuana has been 
shown to cause cognitive impairment, including distorted perception 
and memory loss. What's more, the potency of marijuana has increased 
since the seventies. It is a far more powerful drug now than the one 
that seems to be stoking Mr. Cartwright's nostalgia, and it is 
claiming more victims, with more teens in treatment each year for 
marijuana dependence than for alcohol and all other illegal drugs 
combined. In addition to its harm, marijuana has no proven medicinal 
benefits--a conclusion reached not by Washington "politicians" but by 
the major voices in the medical community. The American Medical 
Association, the American Glaucoma Society, the American Academy of 
Ophthalmology, and the American Cancer Society have all rejected 
marijuana as medicine.

The fight against drugs and the ignorance that fuels drug abuse 
continues. America is winning, because we have too much sense, and 
too much at stake, to lose.

James Craig, Special Agent-in-Charge, Houston Field Division

Gary Olenkiewicz, Special Agent-in-Charge, Dallas Field Division

Alfredo Ortega, Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge, El Paso Field Division

Drug Enforcement Administration
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake