[420 Girl]

Re: "'Pusher man' Ryan must stop peddling drugs"

To the editor:

Aleks is someone who jumps to conclusions, loves his mommy a little too much and lovingly sucks in information heard from sources that are not unbiased ( i.e. the government, whose purpose at the moment regarding this matter is to stamp out marijuana use ).

I say this not because I am a fiend for the "narcotic" ( a term which Aleks uses incorrectly, just as the Prohibition government of the 1930s did before him ), but because I observe the world around me objectively and seek to inform myself as much as possible before making a decision.

I know two engineers in second year doing very well in their courses who use cannabis to relax in their down time. I know various others who have proven themselves perfectly competent and functional human beings ( contrary to the conclusions jumped to by Aleks ) despite the fact that they break the law once in a while.

Aleks makes several mean-spirited, uninformed assumptions and ill wishes against a peaceful man -- Ryan "the evil pusher man" -- who simply suggested that cannabis' effects are highly subjective, ranging from beneficial to detrimental, and that it's up to us as mature scholars to try this relatively harmless drug and make up our own minds.

His "under the radar" suggestion, "don't knock it before you try it," was uttered specifically with cannabis in mind, which unlike heroin and PCP -- references Aleks pulls out of god-knows-where -- is not physically addictive.

The LD50 [toxicology term for "lethal dose"] of cannabis is lower than aspirin, alcohol, and nicotine -- all considered drugs. It is so negligible, in fact, researchers often have trouble reaching the LD50 point when experimenting with the toxicity of cannabis.

Who decides if a drug is legal or not?

The government, of course, under pressure from different groups ( the temperance/Prohibition movement being very active in the '20 and '30s when marijuana policy was born ). Governments don't make mistakes, do they?

My point is that one merely has to look at facts and studies, such as a broad notable study commissioned by [President Richard] Nixon in the '70s, to see marijuana is not nearly the potent addictive substance and killer the government would have you think.

In fact, there were over 6,503 alcohol-related deaths in Canada in 1996. The number of recorded cannabis deaths throughout history? Under five.

Dre,

Biology II

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