Pubdate: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON) Copyright: 2005 The Ottawa Citizen Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326 Author: Robert Sharpe Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n475/a07.html?38370 THE POTENT-POT MYTH Re: Is pot far more potent than in the past?, March 19. Both weak and strong marijuana will yield the desired result. Since potent marijuana requires significantly less smoke inhalation, it's actually less harmful. The potent-pot myth that was exposed by Dan Gardner is great for scaring parents into supporting the never-ending drug war, but it can also cause teenagers to question the credibility of anti-drug messages. Like any drug, marijuana can be harmful if abused, but that's not the point. Teenagers who realize they've been lied to about marijuana may make the mistake of assuming that harder drugs like heroin are relatively harmless, too. This is a recipe for disaster. Anti-drug messages must be reality-based or they may backfire when teenagers are inevitably exposed to drug use among their peers. Robert Sharpe, Washington, Common Sense for Drug Policy - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom