Pubdate: Wed, 20 Apr 2005
Source: Londoner, The (CN ON)
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Copyright: 2005 The Londoner

POT GETS A BAD RAP

Kudos to Len Lesser for his column (March 23 issue) on pot. How did such a 
wonderful plant get such a bad rap? In the 1920s hemp was grown to make 
twine and rope and the seeds were used for human consumption and for bird 
and animal feed.

DuPont had just invented plastic fibre. They wanted hemp out so that 
everybody would want their new invention, rope and twine out of plastic. 
The propaganda regarding this plant reached fever pitch in the 30s and 40s 
and the U.S. government got in on the ugly brainwashing -- things like you 
would lose your mind if you smoked this plant.

Well, I guess there are still some folks out there who go for all the 
mindless gibberish.

But what about a potent mind-numbing drug like alcohol, that has destroyed 
millions upon millions of lives and continues to do so, or tobacco which is 
probably not so bad were it not for the 2,000 chemical additives that are 
added and not to forget those three wonder drugs of the masses -- white 
refined sugar in all it's guises, white refined flour in all it's empty 
promises and our favourite little picker-upper, coffee? All drugs. All 
legal.  All doing their dirty work in our bodies and in our minds.

Nobody ever mentions the litter created by thousands of throwaway coffee 
containers and the ugliness of thousands of butts lying everywhere. 
Instead, let's all come down real heavy on marijuana.

As long as a substance is illegal there is always the criminal element. The 
government should sell and regulate it like it does with alcohol. Let's not 
stand in judgment and malign a substance. If you do not wish to partake 
then that is your choice. To call people criminals for using marijuana is 
unbelievable.

Go do something constructive: Pick up some broken beer bottles and some 
cigarette butts.

Sage Woman, London  
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