Pubdate: Mon, 28 Nov 2011 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2011 Keith Morrison Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Author: Keith Morrison Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v11/n674/a08.html HAS THE TIME COME TO END POT PROHIBITION? Re: Ex-mayors call for end to pot prohibition, Nov. 24 So the ex-mayors of Vancouver want to legalize marijuana? What have they been smoking? Perhaps they could answer the following questions, in the context of driving of automobiles: 1. Does marijuana cause impairment? 2. Is there, at this point, a defined level of impairment (like the alcohol 0.05 measurement)? 3. Is there a quick and reliable testing procedure to determine the level of impairment? 4. Would someone who has been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana, and below the impairment level for either, be impaired by the combination of both? While the answer to No. 1 is yes, I would bet that the other questions remain unanswered. The MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) people, who have been so successful in bringing alcohol and driving to the general discussion, must be fairly upset that these former mayors want to add another drug to the equation. In addition, it is a somewhat specious argument to equate smoking tobacco with smoking marijuana. There haven't been many reported accidents involving smoking tobacco. Keith Morrison Vancouver - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom