Subj: US: Editorial: Clashing Reports On Pot Leave Reason For Doubt



Pubdate: Wed, 14 July 1999



Source: Daily Vidette





CLASHING REPORTS ON POT LEAVE REASON FOR DOUBT



Yet another marijuana study made the news this week.  This report, as

delivered by Joseph Califano, president of the National Center on Addiction

and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, concludes that smoking pot is

like playing "Russian roulette."



The game, so to speak, begins when an unsuspecting teenager decides to abuse

marijuana.



One problem with this report, like so many other scientific papers, is while

the report is filled with important sounding jargon and emotional language,

it stand contradicted by the federal government's report that came out in

March.



The Califano report also indicated any use of marijuana is "abuse." The is

like saying drinking a beer is abusing alcohol on the same level as slamming

seven shots in four minutes.



The report from the government concludes marijuana is not a so-called

gateway drug.



So, which fancy report is the unsuspecting teenager to believe? More

importantly, which fancy report are lawmakers to believe?



In months to come, both sides of the drug debate will cite whichever report

confirms their own beliefs and quickly dismiss the other one.



We at the Daily Vidette will go with the government on this one.



The Califano report was commissioned and conducted by scientists who had

already decided smoking pot is the root of all drug abuse, so it should be

expected their report would find exactly what it found.



The report from the federal government, however, was funded by the Office of

National Drug Control Policy--an organization which would be less likely to

have an opinion on how its own study should come out.