Pubdate: Fri, 05 Aug 2011 Source: Nisqually Valley News (WA) Copyright: 2011 Yelm Online Contact: http://www.yelmonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5278 Author: Keven R. Graves SON, GET OUT THERE AND FEED THE CANINE Medical marijuana - medical cannabis - same thing. Letter writer and local smoke shop owner Mark Ryan takes issue this week with our decision to refer to marijuana in a Nisqually Valley News article last week as, well, marijuana. One of the rules of journalism is to call things what they are. For example, some government leaders may prefer that we refer to certain taxes as "fees levied" or some other term far less loathsome, we're still going to call it a tax. Referring to marijuana as cannabis throughout a newspaper article is like referring to a dog as a canine, or a cat as a feline. Do we ever tell our children to go walk the canine, or feed the feline? Nope, most of us don't. What's the everyday vernacular? That's what most readers recognize. I understand Ryan's argument and his reasoning behind it - that cannabis sounds more medical, thus more legitimate. Nonetheless, it's still marijuana. In his letter to the editor, Ryan paraphrases Shakespeare, saying, "a rose by any other name would still be a rose." The line actually reads, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet ..." Regardless, in quoting that line, I think Ryan makes more of an argument for using the word "marijuana" rather than "cannabis." In journalism school, we learned the KISS rule - Keep It Simple, Stupid! In itself, very simple and effective. By keeping their writing simple, newspaper reporters must share their information succinctly and effectively. They must keep sentences tight, the information accurate and concise and they must avoid getting heavy on prose or flowery talk. The facts will speak for themselves. Keeping it simple also forces a reporter to keep the thesaurus tucked away and resist the urge to use big or fancy words to make themselves look alittle smarter. If you ever read government press releases, particularly from state or federal officials, you'll get the idea. The objective of some government leaders isn't to get a message out, it's to get the word out in a light most positive to that particular official or agency. A reporter's responsibility is to not get sucked into "governmentese." It's a reporter's job to distill the facts in a way any reader can easily understand and digest. As for the medical marijuana controversy, it seems the momentum is moving toward legalization, at the state level anyway. While still incredibly controversial, medical marijuana seems to be finding its place in mainstream society. As medical costs rise, and the price of some prescription medications skyrocket as well, many consumers are seeing marijuana as a legitimate means of relieving pain. One of the hardest things to witness is a loved one in the hospital, suffering from pain. It brings to mind the scene in "Terms of Endearment," when the mother, Shirley McLaine, screams at nurses to administer pain medications to her dying daughter. There are times when some of us would do anything to bring relief to someone in severe pain. At times like that, do a few puffs from a joint really seem like such a bad thing? - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.