Ralph E. Jones’s series of disinformation about the typical effects of marijuana use appearing in the Star, reminds me of the hilarious cult classic “Reefer Madness” from 1936. It also claimed marijuana led to murder, rape and insanity.
Despite his claim that marijuana is physically addictive – which it is not – marijuana, unlike alcohol and tobacco, has no known lethal dose.
One would think that a doctor concerned with the health of our young people might address the fact that over 50 percent of highway deaths involve at least one drunk driver. But perhaps Dr. Jones is more interested in drumming up clients than addressing alcohol-related deaths?
Completely ignored by Dr. Jones is the damage done to our society by incarcerating young men-and giving them a criminal record for the rest of their lives-for simple marijuana possession.
Anyone wishing to know the facts might read, “Ganja in Jamaica: The Effects of Marijuana Use,” sponsored by the Center for Studies of Narcotic and Drug Abuse and the National Institute of Mental Health, which explodes many of Jones’s absurd claims.
Why now, you might ask? I just ran across a book deep on my dusty book shelf from those ‘drug-crazed’ days of the 1960s. Its chapter on The Dangers of Grass contains exactly two words: “Getting busted.”
And Dr. Jones wonders why his words fall on deaf ears? As the kids say today: Duh!
M. Dailey Harlingen
