I grew up surrounded by pot - my parents were colossal stoners - but I refused to partake. Then, just after my 30th birthday, I decided to find out what all the fuss was about. As a kid, I used to smell something strange wafting out of my dad's ensuite. It was smoky and foul, like a rotting cigar. Whenever I'd ask him what it was, he'd play dumb: it was coming from outside, he'd say. I discovered the truth at age 13, when I saw a few kids smoking pot at a middle-school party and recognized the telltale stench. I confronted my dad. He confessed: he was an upstanding boomer by day, hippie stoner by night. My mom did it, too. My dad told me they smoked weed to alleviate stress, that there were minimal health risks, and that they did it pretty much every day. [continues 937 words]
Re "Altered state" by Nick Miller (SN&R Feature, August 27): I was prescribed medical marijuana while taking Prozac. This caused me to have a manic episode, followed by psychosis, jail, psychiatric hospital, halfway home, months of recovery and years of medication to reverse the effects the marijuana had on me. Please be conscious of negative impacts of marijuana legalization. Recent research indicates that it can cause psychosis, as it did in my case. There are legitimate concerns, not just from "squares," but from scientific research and liberal former patients. I think it should be legal to reap the benefits from taxes (it is everywhere, anyway), but there are real reasons to be wary. Anonymous Davis [end]
Maui's self-righteous war on drugs is a travesty. The recent prosecution of innocent medical marijuana users is a sad state of affairs. Many innocent families have been permanently harmed by the terrorism that is disguised by the "War on Drugs." My brother was arrested for buying his girlfriend a small bag of pot several years ago, after she repeatedly and consistently requested that he get her some "smoke." It turned out that she was a narc and she used the same ploy to bust hundreds of innocent 16-year-olds, a practice that was later banned by the courts in the state where he was living. [continues 284 words]
[Re: "Take me to your dealer," Nov. 15] Wow. I never thought the Mirror would openly publish a story about pot smoking from one of its columnists-but they did. And I for one celebrate this. Honestly, I don't think I've read anything that resembles so closely how I sometimes feel when I abuse the almighty ganja. I started smoking about a year ago and I'm 36. I too was of the "non-smoking militant" sort until I dared to try it out and was eternally glad I did. If you're anything like I am, dorky, a bit strange and definitely not one to fit in, you're probably as stressed an individual as I am. In fact, you probably bite your nails as if your life depended on it-like it's a bloodsport-like I do as well. If it is the case (and if not, I apologize for assuming) then you probably have acknowledged that as well as the incredibly pleasing effects this substance has, it is appeasing and oh so unbelievably relaxing. [continues 112 words]
The stereotypical drug addict doesn't exist. Instead, think Little League, Boy Scouts, cheerleaders, soccer practice, piano lessons. The truth is, nice kids next door do drugs and die of them. I should know - I lost my 25-year-old son to drugs. Yet we parents are often the worst-equipped to help because we don't want to believe our kids are on drugs. We don't want to believe that with our nice homes, hard work and anti-drug education in schools, and giving them the best we can think of, they can still head down the path to self-destruction. [continues 991 words]
Dear editor, I read with interest about the motion regarding grow ops, meth labs, etc. Although this may be an idea in principle, I believe it would be totally in vain. These people have no regard for life let alone property. I seriously doubt the township could ever "collect" on refurbishing or demolishing these properties or, at the very least, the owners/tenants would be long gone. Last year my neighbour was dealing drugs, so busy at one point that traffic at their house was steady 24 hr. a day for approx. 2 months. Our local police station referred me to our main narcotics detective covering all of Simcoe County & Muskoka. Despite understanding this large territory & workload, our neighbourhood wanted this stopped which did take a number of months after their money & sources began drying out. In the meantime, these neighbours somehow avoided having their house repossessed by the bank at the ninth hour and continued living there long after heat & hydro had been disconnected right into Nov-Dec. Another repossession notice, they stripped the house of cabinets & anything that could be removed, sold it for a song and WALKED, scot free. The house is a shambles, basement flooded with 5 ft of water, likely unfit for refurbishing. And who's left with this mess? The bank, not the owner. Not only have they not been arrested for illegal drug trafficking, they have no further responsibility to the property they trashed. [continues 127 words]
In AA they say that a person can only get clean and sober once they hit rock bottom. Well, I can't imagine being any lower than the situation I am in right now. I am at the bottom of the darkest well known to man - prison. I haven't disclosed my name because I am ashamed of my actions and of how my life has turned out. How did this happen -- family trouble? No, that isn't it. No mother or father? No, I have two very loving biological parents and I had a fantastic childhood. Some sort of abuse, then? Absolutely not -- well, I guess that wouldn't be totally true, because I put a lot of effort into abusing myself and everyone who ever cared about me. [continues 663 words]
I appreciated the article "How meth wormed its way in" (Progress, Oct. 6.) Last Friday my family learned the hard way that ecstasy is laced or cut with meth. My 14-year-old daughter who attends Middle School in the Sardis area, was associating with the girls who had what they believed to be ecstasy (which is bad enough). To my disappointment, my child chose to experiment as well. (Yes, she has been educated on the dangers of drug use.) In any case, she was discovered by a concerned neighbour, trying to make her way home and clearly under the influence of something. Upon discovering this, I immediately took her to the hospital, where we waited for hours to get results of a crime analysis. These girls believed they were taking ecstasy, however, my daughter had meth in her system. No other drug even showed, and they tested for pretty much everything. I was glad I had her tested. [continues 73 words]
Re "Beyond the law," Letters, April 20: The main point I was trying to make ("Decriminalizing dope," Letters, April 13) was I didn't agree that pot is a harmless recreational drug and should therefore be legalized. It's not. Mood-altering substances have a damaging effect on the brain and body whether they're legal or not. Addiction is not about being "irresponsible." It's addiction. And don't give me any crap about the benefits of marijuana legalization. Nicotine, pills and booze are legal and are "used irresponsibly." They also fall into the hands of underage kids who break the law by using them. I still don't think pot should be legal in that it should be openly used and bought. However, I think it's ridiculous that someone receives a jail term and criminal record for possession of a small amount or because they use pot for medicinal purposes. That was my other point: I didn't agree with the Conservatives taking two steps back regarding decriminalization. NAME WITHHELD [end]
Dear Editor, The marijuana grow op hysteria currently evident in Langley will result in more than red tape, with the media habit of sensationalizing most growers as drug lords [Drug lords tangled in red tape, Feb. 7 Opinion, Langley Advance], when the plain truth is that most growers are mom and pop operations contributing heavily to their province and municipalities in an "industry" more important than anything except maybe the petroleum/natural gas receipts, also from the USA. [end]
Police dumbfounded over gun violence increase in London? Take a look around. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that drugs bring gun violence and fuel involvement in gangs. Where do gangs get income? Think about it. With this new task force set up to deal with the gun problem, I have to wonder why we still allow multiple drug dealings to take place at several well-known drug havens in downtown London. In fact, these havens are located right beside the London Police station. [continues 247 words]
On Christmas Eve, I drove through downtown Victoria to see my 14-year-old niece, Heather (not her real name). The stores had closed a few hours before. Traffic was thin, few people were on the sidewalks. At Douglas and Johnson the usual handful of damaged people were hanging around, perhaps trying to stock up on the drugs they'd need to get through the holiday weekend. What is their fix of choice, I wondered. Heroin? Cocaine? Designer drugs? Booze or plain old weed? Or is it crystal meth? [continues 850 words]
By Name withheld Sir, Today I have faced something that, I believe, most parents pray they never have to. I found a case in my son's room that contained a lighter, a baggie (empty), a glass pipe, and a vial containing some little sticks covered in black stuff. I can't truly describe aptly what I was feeling at that moment although some of the feelings were fear, anger, disappointment, hope and sadness. My 14-year-old son: I have tried everything to keep him from this. I have talked to him straight up, I have kept it an open topic, discussed the dangers and how to say no. He is a graduate of the DARE program and knows how to say no, but he still didn't. [continues 352 words]
I am disgusted that the police took no action regarding those poor cats and their owners, but they wasted taxpayers money on "Buddies Koffeeshop". No harm ever came to anyone who visited there. I was a guest there many times. I celebrated my 81st birthday there. They are very kind and courteous to me. Full name, address and phone number supplied. [end]
Dear editor, I would like to thank The Link for their editorial on Marijuana in their last issue. With there currently being much discussion and media attention (and confusion, especially among pot heads, go figure) on new legislation concerning the use of Marijuana in Canada, I think it's very important that people learn more about the actual impact any new legislation will have on Marijuana use. I encourage everyone to learn more about the new legislation and the general campaign to reform Marijuana laws worldwide by visiting the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana laws website: http://www.norml.org/ [end]
I'm an erstwhile narcotics user and now work with people who are still using drugs. Through my contact with the drug scene, I see the change the upsurge in methamphetamine use has made to the local drug culture. People I have known for years who have used all manner of controlled substances have managed to appear, if not perfect specimens of humanity, at least generally healthy. However, with as little as two months of speed use, these same people appear to age 10 years. [continues 82 words]
The residents of Huntington Beach would like to thank you for the kick-ass job you did on me recently. Thanks for busting down the door because you had an "anonymous tip." Thanks for the compliments on growing the best weed you'd ever seen. Thanks for focusing on me while ignoring the ex-cons, rapists, tweakers and violent offenders of all kinds in the complex behind my home. Thanks for setting me straight, for showing me how bad I really was--the supposed kingpin of a huge marijuana-cultivation circle. And thanks last of all for stealing cash, receipts and baseball cards worth thousands of dollars--no, really, it's okay! I want your kids to enjoy stolen property! [continues 84 words]
Dear Editor: I disagree that low self-esteem can be completely blamed for drug abuse. Tragically, popular high-achieving students can also try an addictive drug and become addicted. Addiction is widely misunderstood. Children from happy, good homes can become addicted over a bad decision to experiment. An addiction rules over love, families and getting ahead in life. All that matters is feeding the addiction. For a check into reality, buy or borrow from the library the book entitled Go Ask Alice, by author-anonymous (at Chapters Book Store for under $10). A nice girl from a nice family, whose father is a university professor, gets into the drug scene. [continues 68 words]
I choose to have the occasional drink, a few pipes of hash at the weekend, and, on very rare occasions, I take an E or half a ''trip''. For 30 years I have used drugs with care and consideration for myself and others. I do it for adventure, enlightenment and fun. I am happy and successful in my personal and professional life and recently celebrated my silver wedding. I do my utmost to be impeccable in everything I do. There are many reasons people seek oblivion. Criminalising them is counterproductive and cruel. Prohibition makes things worse and gives power to the amoral institutions Phillips rails against. Will her next campaign have us cordon off beaches to save ignorant people from the possibility of developing skin cancer? Anonymous [end]
Anonymous [end]
