VANCOUVER, September 10, 2002 (LSN.ca) - Focus on the Family Canada finds the Report of the Senate Committee on Illegal Drugs “totally irresponsible and a slap in the face to parents who are working hard to save their children from the harms of illicit drug use,” says Focus’ research director Derek Rogusky. “Marijuana is not harmless and legalizing its use and production will do nothing to reduce Canada’s drug problems.” Rogusky, reacting to the recent Senate report which came out in favour of decriminalizing the narcotic, pointed to evidence that decriminalization does in fact lead to greater use of cannabis. For example, in the Netherlands, marijuana decriminalization was accompanied by large increases in the number of users, particularly among youth. From 1984 to 1992 the rate of cannabis use among students increased by 250%. Rogusky pointed out evidence that shows adolescents who use marijuana are 85 times more likely to begin using cocaine than teens who have never smoked marijuana.
Other health risks attributed to long-term use of marijuana, he said, include serious pulmonary damage, memory lapses, pseudo-hallucinations, reduced bloodflow that can lead to strokes, tumours, and negative effects on the development of unborn children.