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
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom