Pubdate: Wed, 29 Jan 2003
Source: Underground, The (CN ON Edu)
Copyright: 2003 The Underground
Contact:  http://www.scar.utoronto.ca/~undergnd
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2653
Author: Quentin Stossel

A RESPONSE TO SACHIN HINGOO'S ARTICLE ABOUT HARM REDUCTION IN LAST WEEK'S ISSUE

Sachin, you are but a genius to suggest such a progressive tactic to 
address current illicit drug use trends.

Indeed, attempting to educate people about the effects of drugs in terms of 
altering their state of mind and in terms of the known effects on their 
daily lives is, in my opinion, far better than simply making drugs illegal 
and use thereof punishable. This progressive ideology stems from treating 
the cause of a problem rather than suppressing the symptoms of it.

However, the purpose of my letter is not to exhaust my thoughts on the 
issues of drug laws, but instead to remind you of a club that was initiated 
but a few years ago - the Cannabis Awareness and Culture group (CAC). Yes, 
now you remember.

Well, the mandate of CAC was to do exactly what you beg for in your 
article, and right here at UTSC as well. CAC was a group where people that 
were considering the use of mind altering DRUGS could come and learn about 
the experiences of others in order for them to make a more educated 
decision about trying DRUGS. This way, someone who was thinking of dropping 
ACID for the first time might find out that the ACID tabs with the smiley 
faces were laced with some other DRUG as well, while the tabs with pink 
triangles were not. Or they might have found out that MAGIC MUSHROOMS 
(psilocybin) pack quite a punch on the first-time user, and that they 
should try the SHROOMS in a place they feel comfortable in, rather than a 
rave. These are things that CAC firmly believed in, which is why student 
affairs okayed the existence of what many might have thought was a POT 
smoking club. Unfortunately, most people weren't that interested in CAC. 
Not even the serious drug users.

As a result, CAC ceased to operate as a club after one year of existence 
due to a lack of involvement. It seems this lack of student initiative, 
involvement, and commitment is quite common across a variety of disciplines 
at UTSC. This is in complete agreement with Gordon Lane's comment in the 
News in Brief last week that UTSC students don't do anything.

So, I ask why do you bitch and whine about U of T not having a program that 
educates students about drugs when we did have one, right here in 
Scarlem.... a program that fell apart due to lack of initiative. If you're 
interested in reviving CAC or a version thereof, the club's constitution 
still exists.

Quentin Stossel

PS: As a side note, why do certain faculty members, who should be setting 
an example for students, wait inside the S-Wing hallway during a fire alarm 
instead of going outside?

Are they somehow exempt from catching on fire? "Because they're cold" is 
NOT an acceptable answer.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens