Reason – by Jacob SullumIn a Washington Post commentary published on Monday, Joseph Perrone claims “a handful of deaths in Denver were tied to edible marijuana use this year.” That’s true, if by “handful” you mean two and if by “tied” you mean attributed by pot prohibitionists.
Perrone is referring to Levy Thamba Pongi, a visiting 19-year-old college student who jumped off a Denver hotel balcony after eating a pot cookie on March 11, and Kristine Kirk, whose husband allegedly murdered her on April 14 after eating cannabis candy. Perrone thus exaggerates the number of deaths and blames them on marijuana through post hoc, ergo propter hoc reasoning. This in an essay about “the junk ‘science’ behind the marijuana legalization movement,” written by the chief science officer at an organization called the Center for Accountability in Science. I guess if you say “science” enough, you needn’t worry about being scientific.
The day after Perrone’s essay appeared, Ron Schwerzler, an opponent of Oregon’s legalization initiative, claimed at a debate that “there have been five infant children deaths in Colorado that have picked up those drugs,” referring to marijuana edibles. The actual number, as Schwerzler was forced to admitthe following day, is zero. “I really need to retract that statement because I can’t back it up,” he said. Like Perrone, Schwerzler is a man of science: director of medical services at an addiction treatment center in Eugene.
[Thanks to Judith Posch for the Oregonian link.]http://reason.com/blog/2014/10/24/pot-prohibitionists-invent-marijuana-dea
The morons who believe this cr@p in the first place are the ones most in need of some good herb.
I can almost hear diggerdan from the other side of the divide wanting to throw his 2 cents into the conversation. He would have had an opinion on the subject matter.
Hey Millard. I’m sure he would.
Hey Paul, I’m really glad diggerdan talked you into staying with “The Trenches” back when you first visited the site.
I am too Millard. This is the only site I have ever joined, commented on, or made it a point to be on every single day.
I consider you, others here , and this site as family.
First thing I think of every time I come across a pot article, Millard. 🙁
I guess this idiot doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.