Pubdate: Thu, 12 Apr 2012 Source: Eagle Valley News (CN BC) Copyright: 2012 Sicamous Eagle Valley News Contact: http://www.eaglevalleynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4362 Author: Todd Lumley MP COLIN MAYES MISGUIDED ON EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA USE In response to MP Colin Mayes column, Legalizing marijuana raises health concerns, in the March 28 EVN.:Your ignorance of cannabis is obvious Colin, and relying on a journalist to be your source of expertise is irresponsible to say the least. As for the psychiatrist with 30 years of experience, I think you should ask him why we have not seen the same increase with mental illness rates as we've seen with cannabis use among the youth in the last 30 years or more? Because there is no definitive link between cannabis use and mental illness, that's why. Dr. Henry T. Chuang's comment about their brains becoming poisoned exposes his obvious lack of knowledge about cannabis, and reassures my point that the doctor is not an expert on cannabis and its effects on its consumers. I have a question for Colin Mayes and all the other prohibitionists out there. Why do you people never talk about the millions upon millions of people around the world that used cannabis regularly as a youth, and then moved on in adulthood to become a productive member of society? People like Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Al Gore, to name a few. The truth is, there are many successful stories behind successful people that included cannabis use when they were young, and I'm quite positive there will be many more in the future. Unless, of course, they have to answer to a legal system about their cannabis use, a system that has destroyed futures, torn apart families and financially bankrupted people for choosing to consume a substance far less toxic than the ones on the legal market today. Substances like alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, and sugar. Todd Lumley - --- MAP posted-by: Matt