Pubdate: Thu, 18 Jun 2015
Source: Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ)
Copyright: 2015 The Arizona Republic
Contact: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/sendaletter.html
Website: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/24
Author: Michael Bernays
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v15/n326/a02.html

ANTI-POT COLUMN TURNED A STATISTIC INTO A FALSEHOOD

Sheila Polk's My Turn ("Safe marijuana? Tell that to the 62 kids who 
died," Tuesday) contains what is nearly a lie, disguised as a statistic.

She relies on the Arizona Child Fatality Review Program for the claim 
that marijuana use was "associated" with 62 child fatalities in 2013, 
and then misstates that study to the effect that these deaths 
"resulted" from substance use.

The report, at page 41, cautions that "it is important to remember 
the term associated is used because it is not always clear if or how 
the substance use had a direct or contributing effect on the fatality 
incident."

The lie is not in the statistic, but in Ms. Polk's suggestion that an 
"association" which does not clearly have a direct or contributing 
effect on the fatality somehow gets turned into a causal relationship 
in which the fatality "resulted from" the substance use.

Such sophistry should be beneath an elected county attorney, but even 
worse, should never have been overlooked by your editorial staff.

Shame on both The Republic and Ms. Polk for spewing such non-truths 
in such a public forum.

- - Michael Bernays, Phoenix
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom