A 'PHATTY' HURTS NO ONE

To the editor:

Re: "Hypnotist helps potheads to butt out," by David Carrigg, May 20.

It's no wonder that only 40 people showed up for the Winnipeg gig of
anti-pot campaigner and hypnotist M. Vance Romane, who's rolling into
"Rivercity" this month to use massive hypnotic suggestions to get people to
accept his bogus "raft of medical evidence" highlighting the dangers of pot
consumption.

Cannabis is less "addictive" than caffeine and not physically addictive at
all. Ask people who know real addictions like coke, heroin, meth and
alcohol, and they'll tell you marijuana provides solace and keeps them off
the hard stuff.

The only "gateway" occurs when prohibition does not distinguish between
drugs and there is no safe place for people to acquire and enjoy their
intelligent preference. The real harm is the legal and social fallout.
About half of all drug arrests in Canada are for simple possession of small
amounts of marijuana: about 31, 299 convictions in 1995 alone.

Many lead to jail terms or fines and all result in that indelible social
tattoo: a criminal record forcing higher aspirations to go up in a puff of
smoke.

This song and dance man's interpretation of B.C. Marijuana Party
policy-"They want to OK prostitution, get rid of the DARE drugs program and
have free use of guns," is a gross oversimplification.

Lying to young people about the "dangers" of marijuana is
counter-productive, as has been shown by the failed DARE program in our
schools. I consider M. Vance Romane nothing more than a bigot and am
surprised you gave him space. If I could afford the cost of his show-"about
the same as half an ounce of pot"-I would go and smoke a big phatty of
Marc Emery's best and listen to the trippy music.

John Gordon , B.C. Marijuana Party, Vancouver