Pubdate: Thu, 03 May 2007 Source: Chronicle, The (West Lorne, CN ON) Copyright: 2007 The Chronicle Contact: http://cgi.bowesonline.com/pedro.php?id=241&x=contact Website: http://www.thechronicle-online.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4478 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n536/a04.html Author: Stan White Dillon PERSECUTION OF CANNABIS IS THE GATEWAY TO DRUG ABUSE Dear Editor, Robert Merkin (Letter: Students Keep Using Drugs, April 26, 2007) hit the bull's eye but there's more. After all government says about cannabis (marijuana / the devil weed), how do citizens and especially youth know government is telling the truth about heroin and meth? Government's reefer madness, cannabis prohibition has had the ill-effect of creating contempt for any and all drug news from government. It is the persistent persecution and prohibition of cannabis that has created a gateway to drug abuse, making government directly responsible for increasing hard drug addictions continuing to grow in North America, with younger children being victims. According to government, cannabis is the biggest problem in North America, just ask the U.S. Drug Czar. Today's pot is more like cocaine, causing cancer and all. Asserting that cannabis has no medical value, while thousands of years proves otherwise, creates contempt. Labeling cannabis as Schedule I with deadly heroin and placing meth only as a Schedule II substance creates contempt. Cigarettes which kill over 1,000 North Americans daily is legal, yet cannabis which has never killed one person in over 5,000 years of documented use is illegal. It's no wonder youth don't listen to government. Since government isn't, perhaps it's time for media, including the Chronicle to tell the truth. Does lying to youth about cannabis compromise hard drug messages? Has North America made a mistake by not being truthful with Youth? What's the truth? Truthfully, Stan White Dillon, Colorado (online reader) - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom