Re: Romancing The Bottle, Jonathan Kay, June 4. While Jonathan Kay is quite right in his assertion that the misuse of alcohol is far more dangerous to society than the threat posed by marijuana, his claim that "marijuana use is correlated with depression, social alienation and the like" needs slight qualification. It is more likely that those who misuse marijuana will be the ones to develop mental and physical problems. There is a growing body of research that suggests there is no such thing as a typical marijuana user, and that it is possible to use marijuana in a responsible fashion for recreational purposes. [continues 171 words]
Second Thought The murder of four RCMP officers in Mayerthorpe was a terrible tragedy. I have tremendous respect for the men and women in our police services who patrol our highways, protect our communities, and come to our aid at a moment's notice. It is a tough, stressful, sometimes dangerous, and often thankless job. We owe them a great deal of gratitude. While we pause to remember the fallen, we should also take the time to consider what can be learned from this senseless loss. I have a personal interest in this issue, as several of our Crime and Community students at Augustana go on to serve in various police forces across the country, including the RCMP. I'd like to think that we can salvage something from this terrible ordeal that will make their work safer. [continues 542 words]
