DRUGS AND THEIR PLACE IN SOCIETY

To say that pot even HAS a place in the community, would be considered by
some, as fundamentally wrong - taking the approach that all such things
should be forbidden, not talked about, seen, heard and never embraced.

Those on the opposite end of the rift (or is that spliff?) might suggest
such an argument is nothing but a lame attempt at regulating society,
coming from a bunch of people who should learn to inhale all the smoke
they're blowing.

In March a popular new game for XBox and Playstation was released amongst
criticism that it paints a dangerous and very wrong picture about drug use.

The game, called Narc, is officially described as "an in-depth,
third-person action/shooter video game set against a stylized modern-day
backdrop of the War on Drugs."

However, critics of an aspect in the game where players (police officers)
take drugs to improve their skills, are (not surprisingly) suggesting that
it could be setting a bad example.

"There is a risk that (the game) will glamorize drug taking and send out
the wrong message to young, impressionable people," said Dr. Ken Checinski,
an England-based addiction specialist, during a Calgary Herald interview
published this month.

Aside from the obviously questionable character traits portrayed in the
game, it raises an interesting point about what place drugs hold in our
society and how accepted they are.

A spokesman for Midway, the game's publishing company, said they chose to
push the boundaries specifically because the subject was "something that
nobody else had tackled in computer games" and "felt it was time to do."

Setting the bar Midway style, includes having police officers take a tab of
ecstasy, for example, to create a mellow atmosphere that can pacify
aggressive enemies. A toke on a joint temporarily will slow the speed of
the game like a sports highlight replay.

Finally, using cocaine briefly turns the player into a focused marksman, or
a "crack" shot.

While I sincerely hope that people are smart enough to recognize that such
concepts are totally and completely false, there is no way to deny that the
game is presenting a very disturbing take on reality.

I respect Midway for pushing the boundaries of video game culture (if you
can call millions of people spending hours of mindless activity in front of
a screen blowing people up, a culture) but having police officers take
drugs to catch criminals is about as bright as the dirt collecting on the
bottom of my shoes.