This is in response to the letter to the editor on April 11, "Marijuana higher risk drug than some people believe." The writer presents some valid points. I would not disagree that marijuana is a gateway drug, although not to all who use it. But I think they veer of the right course when they start talking about marijuana's ability to cause cancer. A study done at UCLA showed that smoking marijuana, even regularly and heavily, does not lead to lung cancer. The participants of the study were all asked about their lifetime use of marijuana, tobacco and alcohol. The heaviest marijuana smokers had lit up more than 22,000 times, while moderately heavy usage was defined as smoking 11,000 to 22,000 marijuana cigarettes. The findings showed that even the very heavy marijuana smokers showed no increased incidence of the three cancers studied (lung, neck, head). And while no association between marijuana smoking and cancer was found, the study findings, presented to the American Thoracic Society International Conference, did find a 20-fold increase in lung cancer among people who smoked two or more packs of cigarettes a day. There still is no known case of someone overdosing on marijuana ever. Marijuana can ruin your life the same way alcohol does -- only if you let it.