Pubdate: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 Source: Reporter, The (Vacaville, CA) Copyright: 2009 The Reporter Contact: http://www.thereporter.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/472 Author: Harry M. Short END MODERN PROHIBITION I am quite content with my life here in Vacaville; however, I sincerely feel that Vacaville and Solano County are always behind the curve when it comes to certain aspects in our society. I am speaking of medical marijuana (cannabis) dispensaries, which could provide many people with not only pain relief, but also a much better life in general. Many of us feel that our elected officials have a buggy-whip mentality and cannot see beyond their blue noses. Did you know, for example, that the voters of California approved Proposition 215 in 1996 relating to marijuana, and yet, to the best of my knowledge, no cannabis dispensaries are in our county. Did you also know that physicians can recommend cannabis for cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, glaucoma, arthritis, migraines and "any other illness for which marijuana provides relief"? I can relate to at least a couple of those problems myself. But smoking in general is a filthy habit which makes the smoker smell foul beyond belief. I do not intend on starting now. Prohibition didn't work in the '30s and it is not working now, with regard to preventing folks from obtaining it if they really want to. I am certainly not suggesting that someone who abuses cannabis to should get into an automobile and drive around stoned. Not on your life, nor mine, either. But it is time for us to take the bull by the tail and look the facts in the face ... by making cannabis legal and available, it can immediately remove the horrendous profit motivation currently enjoyed by marijuana growers and traffickers statewide. On Dec. 5, we will all celebrate the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. The same year that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president and started bringing us out of the Great Depression, bringing millions of people out of hopelessness, unemployment and starvation. On this memorable day, Dec. 5, 2009, I encourage everyone to write their elected officials and demand that we raise ourselves out of the Dark Ages and start relieving people of their pain and oppression with the current stigma regarding cannabis by lawmakers and law enforcement in Solano County. Harry M. Short Vacaville - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake