TRANSCRIPT: "FOCUS ON THE FAMILY" SEGMENT, 'MARIJUANA USAGE'.

News anchor, David Keating, introduces the video segement 'Focus on the
Family' by saying, "Dr. Dobson cites some alarming statistics about
marijuana usage." [roll video] transcript:

Dr. Dobson: There's renewed interest in some circles today about the
legalization of marijuana usage. Before we take such a step however, we
should consider a few documented medical facts provided by Dr. Harold Voth,
the Senior Psychiatrist for the Menninger Foundation, in Topeka, Kansas.

He said first, five marijuana cigarettes have the same cancer causing
capacity as 112 conventional cigarettes.

Second, the part of the brain that allows a person to focus, concentrate,
create, learn and conceptualize at an advanced level is still growing
during the teen-age years. Continuous use of marijuana over a period of
time will retard the normal growth of those cells.

Third, a study at Columbia University revealed that female marijuana
smokers suffer a sharp increase in damage to DNA genetic code.

It was also found that reproductive eggs are especially vulnerable to
damage by marijuana.

Fourth, a second Columbia University study found that a control group
smoking a single marijuana cigarette every other day for a year had a white
blood cell count that was 39 percent lower than normal, thus damaging the
immune system and making the user far more susceptible to infection and
sickness.

Given these established medical facts Dr. Voth says we should be very
reluctant to re-write the laws prohibiting the popular use of marijuana.

With "Focus on the Family," this is Dr. James Dobson.