Pubdate: Sat, 28 Nov 1998 
Source: Omaha World-Herald (NE) 
Contact:  
Website: http://www.omaha.com/ 
Copyright: 1998 Omaha World-Herald Company.
Author: Susie Dugan, Executive Director, PRIDE-Omaha

'DRUG PUSH IS ON'

John Cronin (Nov. 22 Pulse) missed the mark when he criticized a
World-Herald editorial on marijuana as "medicine." How many medicines do
Americans take by smoking? I can point to more than 12,500 independent
scientific studies housed at the University of Mississippi. Not one of
those studies gives smoked marijuana a clean bill of health.

The voters in five states who declared marijuana to be medicine were
responding more to the millions of dollars poured into the drug
legalization movement by billionaire George Soros than to Cronin's foggy
governmental conspiracy.

Too many adults are ignoring the thundering approach of legalized drugs on
demand in America. Sadly, though, children are listening. Too many are
being swayed by this national campaign to normalize marijuana use as
beneficial. Use of marijuana by Nebraska teens is skyrocketing. How bad
will the drug epidemic among children have to be before we realize that
society can't have it both ways? We can't showcase drug promoters like
Soros and Cronin and then bemoan the fact that children are using those
same drugs.

Susie Dugan, Omaha Executive director, PRIDE-Omaha
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Checked-by: Richard Lake