MARIJUANA MYTH NEEDS TO BE ERADICATED

Editor, The News:

I have read through Mr. Eric Myrholm's letter to the editor ('More
pot, more rot,' Opinion, May 15) several times.

With all due respect to Mr. Myrholm, the information in his letter
reveals to me that he has never met anyone who has smoked marijuana
because the information he presents as facts are grossly incorrect.

Before I say why Mr. Myrholm is misinformed, I will give you a
picture of who I am.

I am a 49-year-old married woman and mother of two children aged 6 and 5.

I worked full time in the work force from 1969 until adopting my two
children in 1996. In addition, I have a diploma in Christian Studies
from Regent College and have about two-thirds of a B.A. degree from
SFU.

(I am presently going part-time as a correspondence student in order
to complete my B.A. degree).

I love my family, both nuclear and extended, work hard raising my
children and organizing our busy household and try to live a
lifestyle which reflects that I have Jesus Christ as my Lord and
Saviour.

I first smoked a little marijuana in my late teens, smoked it
frequently in my 20s, not at all in my 30s and very occasionally in
my 40s.

In point form: I do not have a "dependency" as I can happily go for
long, extended periods of time without even thinking about smoking
marijuana.

I am not a "chronically passive individual" and, while I do not know
a large number of marijuana smokers, I know of no one who smokes
marijuana who is chronically passive.

I also know of no marijuana users who don't work and exist only to
smoke marijuana. I also know for a fact that it in no way leads
people to use "hard drugs."

Having said all of this, I do not advocate its use for children. Like
alcohol and tobacco, its use should be age-restricted.

It is absolute nonsense, however, that marijuana (and hashish) should
be illegal.

It is not the "boogey-man" type of drug that Mr. Myrholm and other
misinformed persons say that it is.

It is also an absolute waste of taxpayers' money and law enforcement
individuals' time to prosecute individuals for using and selling
marijuana and hashish.

If marijuana and hashish were legalized for adult persons to use as
they responsibly saw fit, it would eliminate the need for criminals
(i.e. Hells Angels, mafia gangsters and the like) to become involved
in its distribution.

You are stating gross mis-information, Mr. Myrholm, as if they were hard facts.

You are wrong.

Karen Gardner
Mission