Pubdate: Sun, 05 Jan 2003 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Copyright: 2003 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Author: M.T. Shewchuk MEDIA'S REEFER MADNESS PORTRAYS POT SMOKERS AS A BUNCH OF LUNATICS Re: "Canadians split on decriminalization," Journal, Jan. 2. Of course, Canadians ought to be wary of legalizing marijuana if the only images portrayed to us time and again are those of a "Mad Hatter" (Alice In Wonderland) or file photos of braless teenagers in parks. It would be so easy to marginalize and dismiss calls for relaxed laws in the context of such entirely inappropriate and contrived images. Rather, Canadians and journalists ought to look toward societies such as The Netherlands for realistic images of marijuana smokers: common, well-dressed, everyday people from all walks of life. To illustrate, on Halloween night it happened that I detected a waft of sweet smoke while I took my young children from door to door. Not one person who gave candy treats to my children matched the description of the photograph used in The Journal on Thursday. Rather, each was clean, appropriately dressed (even when not in costume), healthful in appearance and outwardly a respectable, contributing citizen. I felt safe and comfortable for my children. Balanced reporting ought to be accompanied by less biased photos. A balanced discussion within Parliament must be accompanied by a more balanced representation of those who smoke. M.T. Shewchuk, Edmonton - --- MAP posted-by: Tom