during my anti-smoking research i ran across this...
The most important lesson in statistics is widely ignored, especially by the mass media: Correlation between two things does not prove that one causes the other. For instance:
Virtually all heroin addicts drank milk regularly as children.
Therefore, drinking milk leads to heroin addiction.
That is, of course, complete nonsense, because most milk drinkers do not become heroin addicts. But replace "drank milk" with "smoked pot" and you have a statement that is just as ridiculous, (for the same reason), but widely believed by many anti-marijuana crusaders.
good work.
Virtually all heroin addicts drank milk regularly as children.
Therefore, drinking milk leads to heroin addiction.
That is, of course, complete nonsense, because most milk drinkers do not become heroin addicts. But replace "drank milk" with "smoked pot" and you have a statement that is just as ridiculous, (for the same reason), but widely believed by many anti-marijuana crusaders.
good work.