DEMONIZING CERTAIN DRUGS BLINDS US TO BENEFITS

Poverty, environmental issues, and Canada's role in the conflict in
Afghanistan -- wondering what these all have in common? Well,
according to some, they are problems that could be alleviated to some
extent if the western world would stop being so paranoid about sending
the wrong message in certain cases when it comes to illegal drugs.

Drugs, drugs, drugs...used unwisely, every drug from cough medicine to
prescription drugs to illegal narcotics is potentially dangerous, but
what possible medical cures or solutions to world issues are being
missed by demonizing some substances?

Anyone who's ever taken the anti-malarial drug Larium or had a bad
reaction to Tylenol 3 can attest to the fact that prescribed drugs can
mess you up too, but we still recognize that they have legitimate
applications.

Though the drugs deemed harmful, and therefore illegal in western
society, can be horribly dangerous, more recently, science has begun
to recognize that these illegal drugs could also have some positive
uses.

The push to eradicate the poppy growing industry in Afghanistan in
order to cut off the funding for terrorist regimes is one major issue
tied to our anti-drug attitude.

Poppy farming for the production of opium is the bread and butter for
many struggling families in this country but the west is looking to
cut groups like the Taliban off from their cash. The need to stop
terrorist regimes from raising money is obvious but at the same time
we are also hurting the very people we're trying to help.

Some have suggested that, instead of making the crop entirely illegal,
we support the growing of poppies to produce opiates such as codeine
and morphine. Sounds like a simple and logical solution but I would be
surprised if the Canadian government demonstrated that kind of
open-minded, forward thinking when most of their voters have bought
into the blanket 'drugs are bad' mentality.

A recent study by scientists at the Johns Hopkins University
documented the effects of Psilocybin (or magic mushrooms) on 36 adults
(read more at Forbes.com). Researchers were looking to explore the
neurological effects of the compound as well as its potential as a
therapeutic agent for problems like depression.

What the volunteers experienced they described as mystical or
profoundly spiritual. Some even labelled the experience, "among the
most meaningful and spiritually significant experiences of their
lives" and reported that they were better, happier, friendlier people
in the weeks that followed the experiment.

Now, before the angry mobs of parents come knocking on my door, it's
very important to note that the study also recognized that 30 per cent
of participants still reported periods of "very significant fear or
anxiety which could easily escalate into panic and dangerous behavior."

Researchers went on to say that it was impossible at this time to
predict who would have a 'bad trip' because they don't yet know what
causes a negative reaction in certain people. Then there's the
marijuana issue. To legalize or not to legalize?

Our government has taken a tiny baby step forward by allowing certain
people to access marijuana from a government approved source, but the
cuts to funding for further research into medical marijuana and low
quality of the drug being manufactured are now threatening to take us
backwards once again.

Scientific fact thus far has shown that this illegal drug helps
alleviate symptoms from a variety of serious and debilitating medical
conditions.

The potential uses for all parts of the cannabis plant are also many
and varied from using the fibres to make paper, clothing or canvas to
eating the seeds that are high in protein and carbohydrates to making
lamp oil or ethanol.

Proponents believe this plant's potential in manufacturing and
industry far exceeds any other crop. With it's extensive history as
fabric, food and energy source it seems obvious that this plant could
be an untapped resource for struggling countries and countries looking
to lessen their environmental impact.

It seems clear that the stigma our culture has created against some
illegal narcotics has blinded us from seeing the potential benefits of
these drugs and the plants from which they are derived.