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Letter: American College of Pediatricians is not a medical authority

(Courtesy | Truth About Proposition 2) A "mobile pot shop" used by opponents of the medical marijuana initiative to educate high school students about the dangers of marijuana is pictured here at West High School on Thursday, Oct. 25. They don't really have or distribute cannabis.

In a recent commentary published in the Salt Lake Tribune, Gayle Ruzicka cited the American College of Pediatricians (ACP) as a medical authority. Despite its misleading name, the ACP is an anti-LBGTQ political group masquerading as a legitimate medical organization. If you are looking for a scientifically sound and nonpartisan medical authority, the largest American medical association representing pediatricians is the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

The AAP was formed in 1930 and has approximately 64,000 members. The AAP’s motto is “dedicated to the health of all children.” In stark contrast, the ACP was formed in 2002 to oppose adoption by gay couples. The ACP is a fringe group with an exponentially smaller membership than the AAP and has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

In short, the ACP is a radical political group posing as a medical association in order to use pseudo-science to support a hateful anti-LGBTQ agenda.

For actual medical information based on real scientific evidence, exercise caution and skepticism with the American College of Pediatricians; instead, please look to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Tyler Yeates, M.D., Bountiful

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