A thousand words
Frederick R. Barnard’s 1921 saying “a picture paints a thousand words” never rang truer than in your article ‘Cannabis link to depression, suicide’ (February 19,) allegedly reporting “a British review investigating the link between cannabis use during adolescence and the risk of developing major depression and suicidal behaviour”.
The embedded file photograph shows a deformed-looking adult’s hand passing a joint down to a child’s hand extended upwards, the shadow of that child on the wall behind.
So, what words do this vile picture paint?
They paint a rather alarming picture of the newspaper it’s printed in. The picture seems to say, “The Northland Age is highly partisan. We’re anti-cannabis and we’re prepared to go to fairly despicable lengths to lend our support to the anticannabis cause.”
Thankfully, somehow the relevant information is intact at the very end of the article.
How many people read to the very end? Nowhere is another saying more true
than here: “Correlation is not causation”. A link is not a reason.
The study can’t rule out people who might have developed depression and suicidality anyway — without cannabis — some of whom might be more prone to use cannabis “to cope with sub-syndromic symptoms” (in other words, symptoms of the syndrome ‘depression’ which haven’t shown up yet).
If you’re thinking, “non-existent things can’t be included in a study of any kind,” you are absolutely correct. Anyone might develop symptoms of depression.
Nor has this study investigated other substances which might be linked or lead to depression and suicidality. Alcohol, sugar and non-nutritional fast food come to mind immediately. Not to mention family and/or school circumstances, emotional disposition, and an impossibly vast array of other factors.
Will the Northland Age report the “amazing study authored by professors D Mark Anderson (University of Montana) and Daniel Rees (University of Colorado) [which] shows that traffic deaths have been reduced in states where medical marijuana is legalised”?
Or that “Researchers at Harvard University have demonstrated that lung cancer tumour growths can be cut in half thanks to the active ingredients found in cannabis”?
Apparently just two of 25,000 positive peer reviewed studies.
Backtracking, the five words “to cope with sub-syndromic symptoms” are surely worth a thousand pictures. Distinguished commentator Professor Celso Arango admits that cannabis helps some adolescents cope.
Another fundamental point: legalised cannabis won’t be for sale to adolescents anyhow. Legalisation and control might better prevent them obtaining it.
Aotearoa New Zealand’s 600,000 or more cannabis users — medicinal, therapeutic and ‘recreational’ — those who cope, rejuvenate, create, relate and spiritually connect — can expect more regular ‘releases’ of such studies and their biased and/or poor reporting as the PR advertorial war by right-wing Christian conservatives ramps up to the referendum at general election 2020.
Bring it on!
PARTISANZ North Hokianga
The Northland Age is opposed to the legalisation of cannabis, as it has every right to be. It also regularly publishes views to the contrary — Editor. including tennis, which is clearly recognised as a sport. Some sports shouldn’t be in the Olympics, especially boxing, as it is not a positive sport.
Some have been removed for obvious reasons, including live, yes live, pigeon shooting, which was in the 1900 Paris games. Some just didn’t seem logical, such as solo synchronised swimming, which was in the games from 1984 to 1992.
People watch the Olympics with great interest because they could play those that are considered real Olympic sports even if they didn’t do it as well. Pretty much everyone has run the 100m, tossed the shot putt, had a swim in a pool or ridden a horse at some time. Not as many, however, have been break-dancers, and the ‘sport’ seems to have faded from its high point in the 1980s.”
Let’s return to the original ideals of being the best you can and having a go at a sport that we all know.
DENNIS FITZGERALD
Melbourne