Pubdate: Thu, 3 Mar 2005 Source: Daily Free Press (Boston U, MA Edu) Copyright: 2005 Back Bay Publishing, Inc. Contact: http://www.dailyfreepress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/796 Author: Arthur Cole Referred: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n338/a02.html?397 MARIJUANA AS DIVINE AS IT GETS Jesse Rodgers ("God does not endorse Cannabis," Mar. 1, p. 8) fails utterly to grasp the point behind Stan White's use of the Bible in defending marijuana ("Cannabis not evil," Feb. 28, p. 4). All sorts of Bible passages can be selectively interpreted, or outright ignored, to produce whatever message the interpreter desires (many Southerners in the 19th century used the Bible to justify slavery). White's point is that marijuana is a naturally occurring plant that has been declared "good" by God, along with all the other naturally occurring plants. Whether God intended people to smoke it and increase the amount of naturally occuring chemicals in the brain, also created by God, is another question. Still, it cannot be denied that marijuana is a much closer to God's creation than, say, Scotch whiskey, which is by and large a man-made concoction. Therefore, if Mr. Rodgers claims that marijuana should remain illegal because it "injures" the body (a notion that many scientists disagree with) then it must also be necessary to outlaw any other substance that causes harm. I am still waiting for Mr. Rodgers and others who think like him to advocate outlawing beer (makes you fat), wine (harms your liver), cigarettes (kills you), sugar (also makes you fat) and professional wrestling (causes broken bones, brain damage and is just plain stupid.) Arthur Cole Hope Valley, R.I. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom