Grinspoon Does Not Appreciate Reefer Risks

To the editors:

Lester S. Grinspoon’s recent article “A Cannabis Odyssey” concerns me (Op-ed, Sept. 15). I am both a parent of a student at Harvard and someone who in her “experimental” phase did partake. I think that the problem here is that Grinspoon simplifies the issues. The student who finds himself or herself at a party and is offered a chance to partake might now figure “why not give it a try; look, even Grinspoon gets off.” Only, where does Grinspoon get his marijuana? How pure is it? I have unfortunately had experiences where the invitation to have a toke failed to mention that it was laced with something that left me looking for a television to dilute the horror that I was experiencing. Let the smoker beware that it isn’t quite as cut and dry as Grinspoon seems to profess.

Randy E. Osofsky

Manhattan, N.Y.

Sept. 15, 2003