Drug view reaffirmed
PA Auckland The Health Department stands by its view that marijuana is seriously harmful and present laws governing its use should stay. The Director-General, Dr Ron Barker, said the.view was based on reports released by the Minister of Health, Dr Bassett, after he had called for wide public discussion of the issue. Dr Barker was respond-
ing to a statement by the Mental Health Foundation’s director, Dr Max Abbott, that the department had helped erode public confidence in the medical profession’s, advice on drugs by spreading disinformation on marijuana. The department’s view was based on the latest international qualitative research, said Dr Barker. “We don’t just dream this stuff up sitting in our
office.” He said Dr Abbott would do well to remember it had taken 300 years to find out how dangerous tobacco was. “It may be a long time before some people are convinced that cannabis is harmful, or until the full effects are known.” Time would show that the conclusions of Dr Bassett’s reports were “not too far from the truth,” said Dr Barker.
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Press, 31 October 1984, Page 29
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180Drug view reaffirmed Press, 31 October 1984, Page 29
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