From: NORML California <[canor m l] at [igc.apc.org]> Drug Czar Lee Brown Spouts Reefer Madness On Centennial of British Indian Hemp Drugs Report (Nov. 1, 1894) California NORML Press Release by Dale Gieringer (415) 563-5858 October 28, 1994: Almost 100 years to the day after the British Indian Hemp Drugs Commission issued the first authoritative report in support of legal marijuana, Drug Czar Lee Brown spewed forth ill- informed fallacies about marijuana in a speech before the Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America (broadcast on CSPAN-2, Oct. 29th 1 am PDT). The Drug Czar's opinion differed dramatically from that of the Commission, whose 3,281-page report issued November 1, 1894 ranks as perhaps the most exhaustive survey of marijuana ever conducted. It concluded that "moderate use practically produces no ill effects," "occasional use of hemp in moderate doses may be beneficial [medicinally]," and "excessive use is comparatively exceptional." It recommended to the British government that hemp drugs not be prohibited India, but continue to be legally regulated and taxed. In contrast, Czar Brown, an avowed prohibitionist, likened marijuana to "Russian roulette" and deplored the fact that many youth do not think it is "very much harmful" and "dangerous." Brown called for better drug education, but went on to mangle and distort the truth about marijuana at almost every point in his speech: Brown: "The marijuana used today contains anywhere from 10 to 25 times as much THC (its main psychoactive ingredient) as 20 years ago." Fact: According to National Institute on Drug Abuse potency monitoring data, the average potency of marijuana is now around 3 to 4%, only twice what it was when the first accurate statistics were recorded in the 1970s. More potent varieties of marijuana, including hashish, sinsemilla, hash oil, and medicinal tonics, have been widely available for over a century. Brown: "Marijuana can damage the central nervous system and other vital organs." Fact: There is no evidence for this. Recent studies by the National Center for Toxicological Research and SRI International have refuted claims that marijuana causes brain damage in monkeys. According to NIDA researchers, it is a myth that marijuana kills brain cells or damages the reproductive system, as claimed by President Clinton in an address to Framingham High School students Oct. 20. Brown: "One year of heavy marijuana smoking causes as much damage to the respiratory system as 10 to 20 years of cigarette smoking." Fact: There is no evidence for this. Studies by UCLA doctors Donald Tashkin and T-C Wu have found that one marijuana joint equals about one to four tobacco cigarettes. The long-term cancer risk associated with marijuana smoking has not been established. Unlike tobacco, marijuana probably does not cause heart disease or emphysema. Brown: Marijuana claims other innocent victims. A recent Maryland trauma study found 1/3 of accident victims had used marijuana recently, and the National Transportation Safety Board found 13% of truck drivers in fatal truck crashes tested positive for marijuana. Fact: This may be true, though neither study analyzed whether marijuana actually caused the accidents in question. However, what Brown neglected to mention is that two major new driving studies by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration have both concluded that marijuana by itself is a relatively minor road hazard compared to alcohol. The first found alcohol in 51% of 1,882 fatal drivers versus marijuana in 7%, and noted there was "no indication that marijuana by itself was a cause of fatal accidents." The second found that marijuana's effects on driving are "relatively small," and in no cases as severe as those of alcohol at .08% blood concentration, the lowest legal limit for intoxication. Brown reiterated President Clinton's claim that "All illegal drugs are dangerous," without saying whether this applies to legal drugs like alcohol. He made no mention of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission nor of the many other official reports that have endorsed decriminalization of marijuana. FOR MORE INFO ON NOV. 1st INDIAN HEMP DRUGS COMMISSION CENTENNIAL CALL: Dr. Tod Mikuriya (510) 843-0279 NORML: (202) 483-5500 Dr. Lester Grinspoon (617) -277-3621 Eric Sterling, Criminal Justice Policy Foundation: (202) 835-9075 --- * Origin: COBRUS - Usenet-to-Fidonet Distribution System (1:2613/335.0)