Pubdate: Fri, 09 May 2014
Source: Peninsula News Review (CN BC)
Copyright: 2014 Black Press
Contact:  http://www.vicnews.com/eeditions/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1373
Author: Noel Gagnon

GET FACTS RIGHT ON MARIJUANA PROHIBITION

Eileen Nattrass missed one key factor in her argument against pot 
(PNR, May 7) - facts.

If you want to make a legitimate argument in today's Google-able 
world, you need clear cut facts. Not half truths copied and pasted 
from 1950s propaganda films.

She starts by attacking users as addicts, forgetting to mention the 
facts on Cannabis dependency [wikipedia], that "overall addiction 
potential for cannabis to be less than for caffeine, tobacco, and/or alcohol."

She than segues into its detrimental effect on the lungs, forgetting 
to mention that pot users are restrained from purchasing anything but 
tobacco rolling papers (heavy in bleach and carcinogens), when there 
are alternatives available that are non-harmful [vaporizers] to the 
user, but these products are stigmatized as addict tools.

She mentions the increased health care costs, ignoring the facts, 
which show the opposite. Marijuana users, on average, are healthier 
than alcoholics and smokers.

Pot is illegal not because it's bad like Reefer Madness improperly 
informed people. It was because one man decided his investment in 
paper was threatened by a newly invented machine that could process 
hemp. He lobbied to any industry affected and thus the marijuana tax 
act of 1937 was signed.

Noel Gagnon

Sidney
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom