SEND IN MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS TO TEACH KIDS ABOUT DRUGS

Dear Editor,

RE: D.A.R.E. to make the right decision (May 30 Bugle-Observer).

Why are we sending cops in to teach kids about drugs, instead of
medical practitioners?

That is like sending in a priest to teach kids about sex: Just DON'T!
Or you will be in BIG trouble!

"We give them facts about drugs and alcohol. Our kids today want to
know the truth," said Cpl. (John) Foster.

How about this truth?

Marijuana is one of the safest and most versatile herbal remedies know
to man, and recent science out of Germany shows how cannabinoids
stimulate the body's production of TIMP-1, which helps healthy cells
resist cancer invasion.
(www.salem-news.com/articles/january112008/cancer_treatment_11008.php;
www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20071226/pot-slows-cancer-in-test-tube
D.A.R.E. has been running for more than 25 years and is used in
schools across the globe. And in that time, drug use among Canadian
teens has nearly quadrupled! Nice work, D.A.R.E.!

It should be noted that junk food will kill many TIMES more Canadians
this year than all illegal drugs COMBINED! Those who survive will cost
taxpayers a fortune with their diabetes, heart disease, obesity and
cancer.

Sugar and fat and salt and caffeine are much bigger killers than
heroin and coke and meth. Marijuana has never killed anyone, but has
saved countless lives. There is also a misconception in our society
that suggests that only drug-abstinence is to be encouraged and
admired. Telling kids to "never" use certain drugs is like telling
them to never see a certain genre of movie, never go to an amusement
park or exotic country, never alleviate suffering, or never do
anything at all that may be both risky and fun.

It teaches them to be afraid of new things, instead of curious, and as
history has shown, fortune favours the adventurous.

Sensible, moderate, well-informed drug use is no more harmful,
dangerous or immoral than any one of dozens of other activities humans
participate in every day - including contact sports! History and
science support this statement. Also, if you think "drugs" have
nothing good to offer society, then throw away every CD you own! For
those of you keen to teach kids the truth about drugs, without all the
fear, fealty, sloganeering, and spin check out the Canadian Students
for Sensible Drug Policy Web site at www.cssdp-ecprd.ca/ or the
Educators For Sensible Drug Policy (EFSDP) Web site at
www.efsdp.org.

Russell Barth Federal Medical Marijuana License Holder Patients
Against Ignorance and Discrimination on Cannabis (PAIDOC)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCdNX_k71iw www.rata.ca/paidoc.html

Russel Barth

Ottawa, Ont.

Editor's note: Stand-up commedian Russell Barth is a dedicated
cannabis law reform activist and a registered medical marijuana user.
He was a Marijuana Party candidate for the riding of Ottawa-Nepean.