HTTP/1.0 200 OK Content-Type: text/html Pot Smokers Are Uncaring Self-abusers
Pubdate: Sat, 04 Oct 2008
Source: Langley Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2008 Langley Times
Contact:  http://www.langleytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1230
Author: Edy D.
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n912/a05.html

POT SMOKERS ARE UNCARING SELF-ABUSERS

Editor: In response to Travis Erbacher's letter (The Times, Oct. 1), 
I have this to say: People smoke cannabis to stimulate the brain's 
emergency production of endorphins, which is triggered by its natural 
reaction to severe synaptic brain connection damage.

They do this instead of straightening out their attitudes and their 
understanding of others enough to stimulate love from others, 
something which ultimately does the exact same thing. This is 
nature's way of rewarding you for good behaviour. So what they do is 
self-abuse, hands down.

He argued that cannabis occurs naturally. That is irrelevant. Uranium 
happens to occur naturally as well. It's what one does with naturally 
occurring things that causes us as a society to prohibit one another 
to possess such harmful things such as cannabis.

This substance is most commonly burnt, and thus is bound to wind up 
in some unsuspecting individual's lungs. Some of these people may be 
very sensitive and may not wish to have mind-altering substances in 
their systems at all.

I am indignant at the fact that most pot smokers seem to be 
inconsiderate of others and appear to be in love with pot itself. 
They seem to worship the practice of getting high as if it were a 
religion. These are obvious clear signs that they have become 
dependent and ruled by the substance.

They seem to think they know more than others, when in fact many are 
so absent-minded that they don't even seem to realize that the 
substance is illegal. It has been known to be used to be baked into 
cookies and fudge that could inadvertently wind up in the hands of a 
child or some innocent individual who may not wish to get high.

Despite warnings, many people continue to smoke pot in front of their 
children and they continue to expose them to pot smoke, causing them 
to have behavioural problems together with learning disabilities at 
school and lower grades.

Erbacher openly denounced the "Just say no" campaign, one started by 
those who care about our future health. He claimed that authorities 
disclosing facts about harmful substances is the reason why children 
grow to despise authority, when in fact, that is just a reflection of 
what kind of parents they had.

Well-loved children, who have been brought up to respect authority, 
do not rebel because they are brought up to know enough so as to be 
able to make amendments to our laws through due process. They avoid 
the kind of ignorance he displayed in his letter to you.

Sending out the message that breaking well-meaning laws through 
ignorance results in jail time,is well worth the effort, if those 
punished also get the message that not everyone would like to smell 
the stuff nor be affected by it.

Whether it is the smoke itself, or the deception that those that 
smoke it practise as they refuse to change their attitudes, they 
continue to fool themselves.

Erbacher lectured about morals. He doesn't seem to have any. He 
talked about child abuse, he himself sounded more like an abuser by 
even bringing up the issue.

He argued that we should all be free to choose to have distorted 
consciousnesses, which causes others to have to put up with persons 
suffering from such a condition.

Such attitudes eventually render these people as public charges, and 
in the end wind up costing more than someone who wished to commit 
suicide - something which the law has not allowed individuals to do, 
if attempted in front of other people.

Why can't ignorant people like him ever just shut up, smoke another 
one and leave us drug-free kids alone?

Edy D., Langley
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom