Pubdate: Thu, 19 Sep 2002
Source: Bolivar Commercial, The (MS)
Copyright: 2002 The Bolivar Commercial, a division of Cleveland Newspapers, Inc
Contact:  http://www.bolivarcom.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1775
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Cannabis - California)

MARIJUANA: A COMMUNITY GOES TO POT

Sometimes people are so busy trying to prove how open-minded they are, they 
lose sight of common sense.

Mayor Christopher Krohn of Santa Cruz, Calif., is that way. Krohn presided 
over a medical marijuana party recently in which city leaders passed out 
pot to about a dozen sick people at City Hall.

"Santa Cruz is a special place, and today we're letting people know how 
compassionate we can be," Krohn told about 1,000 people gathered for the 
occasion. "We're taking a stand."

Marijuana is illegal as a medicine or as a recreational drug under federal 
law. Under California law, however, and county and city ordinances, it's 
legal if used for medicine.

By contrast, in Washington federal officials were busy warning parents 
Tuesday against making light of the dangers of marijuana to their kids, 
pointing out in the process that more teen-agers are addicted to pot than 
to alcohol or all other illegal drugs combined.

Surgeon General Richard Carmona said that a common misperception about 
smoking marijuana is that it's less dangerous than smoking cigarettes.

That's just not true, he explained. Marijuana contains three to five times 
more tar and carbon monoxide than a comparable amount of tobacco. It also 
affects the brain in ways similar to cocaine and heroin.

"Marijuana is not a rite of passage, but a dangerous behavior that could 
have serious health consequences," he commented. "Parents must realize that 
what they tell their children about drug use makes a difference."

Dr. Richard Corlin, a former president of the American Medical Association, 
urged parents, teachers, doctors and anyone else working with children to 
stop sending conflicting signals.

"We must lead by example and not use marijuana ourselves or condone its use 
by anyone of any age," he added.

Mayor Krohn took a silly stand, and in the process, the signal he sent to 
the children of Santa Cruz was more crazy than compassionate.

It's a sad day in America when her leaders, instead of extolling virtue, 
espouse vice, and instead of teaching kids to be law-abiding, teach them to 
rebel against the laws of the land. It's downright dangerous when our 
politicians start encouraging the use of an illegal substance, which can 
wreck the minds, the health and the well-being of our children.

Instead of taking a mindless stand for what's wrong, the mayor and other 
Santa Cruz leaders should have been taking heed of what they were advocating.

We reap the fruit of what we sow in this life, and we have a sinking 
feeling Santa Cruz is about to reap the bitter fruit of folly.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom