UP IN SMOKE

It just never fails. Whenever nor'wester runs a story involving police
and the illegal drug trade, people in other parts of the country come
crawling through cyberspace to say the information provided by police
is all wrong.

Having been a former "cabbagehead" (yes, President Clinton, I inhaled)
it didn't much matter if marijuana really contained carcinogenic
substances or even that it was illegal.

Having said all of that, as an urban teenager, drugs were easier to
obtain than liquor. All it took was simply asking around. Whatever
mood struck, there was somebody ready to provide a hit - uppers,
downers, LSD, weed... and it was not difficult to get.

Nobody in my drug culture circle really had much concern about being
caught by the police, but from time to time, supply did become, uh,
um, limited.

Personally, I made the choice to stop using drugs for one very, very
simple reason; I really didn't find any enjoyment in being enveloped
in a soft, hazy, falsely euphoric fog. I found it was extremely
difficult to remain sharp and aware if I was stoned! In fact, it's
medically impossible to be safe, balanced and aware when you're under
the influence of drugs, especially when piloting a vehicle.

But some people don't see it that way.

A fellow from BC (home of "BC Bud") sent me an email vociferous in its
condemnation of the RCMP's Cpl. Ann Noel. She was in the region
recently doing presentations to make our community more aware of
addictions. Bud buddy from BC said Cpl. Noel lied when she said that
marijuana was being sold laced with crystal meth. He said it was an
urban myth and that the nor'wester should have investigated the
validity of that claim.

Maybe if we had the resources to test a sample from every street-level
dealer, we could unequivocally surpass reasonably sourced hearsay with
an absolute determination. But those results would only be just what
we uncovered on that one day from just the available supply.

That, dear friends, is the danger of street-level, pre-rolled,
pre-mixed and pre-packaged illegal drugs; NOBODY knows what's really
in there!!

And with the super scary drugs out there that can hook you with just
one hit, like crystal meth, crack, and heroin, you really are risking
your life if you choose to trust people like BC buddy (who was
probably stoned at the time he thought up his incoherent rambling)
over the RCMP and medical fact.

Maybe that risk is something with which he can easily exist, but the
only people I've ever seen make out really really well with drugs are
those who sell them! I have yet to run across an addict or user who
remains substantial and contributing to society.

Kinda makes you wonder whose interests are truly being
served.

I was lucky years ago. I escaped addiction to illegal drugs and I
found a whole new group of friends where the only pressure was to stay
straight. Now, as then, I find it's really cool to be drug-free and
when my son reaches an age where he may find himself surrounded by
pressure to try something, "just this once," I think I'll sit down,
with a big old stick, and discuss with him why it's so much more fun
to be straight.

And as far as bud buddy from BC goes, there has got to be something
seriously wrong in your life if you choose to exist in that
unfriendly, unforgiving fog.