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Letters
Drugs in America
I read the article on society and drugs
(America's Drug Policies: Killer or Cure?,
March) and find it full of helpful sug-
gestions. I gather that Mr. Joranson's mes-
sage is that if we could all, as the
posters to recruit Vista volunteers say,
"make the scene-better" we might find
that drug abuse by people of all ages
would drop. I agree it's the best hope.
          Frances Wilson Hurst '67
          Madison
The article was a very helpful discussion
of a painful subject. The Madison Campus
Drug Information Center, referred to, has
proven to be a highly successful remedial
and educational function.
                 F. Chandler Young
                 Vice Chancellor for
                 Student Affairs
,,. Mr. Joranson's statement that "the
greatest danger in marijuana lies in getting
caught" seems to be solidly refuted in
an article by two psychiatrists, Drs. Har-
old Kolansky and William T. Moore,
as reported in a recent issue of the
Journal of the American Medical Associa-
tion. Their five-year study showed that a
group of 38 persons, aged 13 to 24, who
habitually smoked marijuana at least twice
a week all showed "serious psychological
effects, sometimes complicated by neuro-
logic signs and symptoms". None of these
patients had a history of psychological
disorders prior to smoking marijuana.
              Donald V. Zoerb '24
              Nokomis, Florida
Mr. Joranson replies: There is no scien-
tific basis for Kolansky's and Moore's
conclusions. They use a well-known type
of fallacious reasoning called post hoc,
ergo propter hoc. (Literally, "after this,
therefore because of this.") Serious psy-
chological effects and some neurologic
signs existed after marijuana use; thus the
authors conclude that marijuana caused
them.
In order to draw valid conclusions, Ko-
lansky and Moore would have to have
shown that the incidence of mental dis-
order is higher among marijuana smokers
than in the general population. This calls
for a well-designed study with control
groups and sampling techniques, and thi,
they did not do.
On the other hand, it is obvious to those
of us who deal with mental disorders that
the twelve-to-twenty million marijuana
smokers in the United States do not
Suffer resultant mental problems.
There is an unhealthy tendency in this
country to blame much on drugs while
Minimizing the underlying issues of
alienation despair, social-economic de-
Prtvation and repressive policies. "Drugs"
has become another fear symbol for the
erican public, and "research" of the
kolansky-Moore type can only make
flatters worse. *
lane, 1971
wisonslin
                                   alumnus
Volume 72
June 1971
Number 8
4 New Light on Old Faces
9 The Measure of a Man
11 Anniversary Portfolio
15 Changes in Elementary Education
24 Badger Bookshelf
26 Alumni News
30 Badger Crossword
             WISCONSIN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
                     OFFICERS 1970-71
CHAIRMAN
Lake Dairy,
PRESIDENT:
West Street
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT: Robert Wilson '51, Westgate Bank, 670
S. Whitney Way, Madison, Wisconsin 53711
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT: Fred R. Rehm '43, Milwaukee County
Air Pollution Control Department, 9722 Watertown Plank Road,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53266
SECRETARY: Mrs. Conrad Elvehjem '28, 656 Hilltop Drive, Madi-
son, Wisconsin 53711
TREASURER: Harold Scales '49, Anchor Savings and Loan, 25 W.
Main Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53703
                            Staff
Arlie M. Mucks, Jr. '43
Gayle Williams Langer '59
Elma Keating Haas
Gary D. Meyer '63
Thomas H. Murphy '49
JoAnne Jaeger Schmitz '51
               Executive Director
               Associate Director
    Director of Alumni Programs
    Director of Alumni Services
    Director of Communications
and Editor, "Wisconsin Alumnus"
                  Assistant Editor
THE WISCONSIN ALUMNUS is published ten times a year: Monthly
in October, November, February, March, April, May, June and July; and
bimonthly in December-January and August-September. Second-class postage
paid at Madison, Wis., under the act of March 3, 1879. Subscription price
(included in membership dues of the Wisconsin Alumni Association) is $10.00
a year. Editorial and business offices at 650 N. Lake St., Madison, Wis.
53706.
3
OF THE BOARD: Truman Torgerson '39, Lake to
2000 S. 10th Street, Manitowoc, Wisconsin 54220
Robert Draper '37, Hurst Performance, Inc., 50
Road, Warminster, Pa. 18974