MARIJUANA USERS SHARE GUILT IN RCMP DEATHS

For Our Fallen Dressed In Red

By R. Ingram

Our men and women in red do lay

Their lives on the line each and every day

For the people of the country they protect and serve

It is far more than we Canadians deserve.

And as their epitaphs in honour were read

And wreaths of flowers laid at their head

Mournful tears were freely shed

For our fallen dressed in red.

So let us honour forever the memory

Of the recent four who died for God and country

Constables Anthony, Brock, Lionide and Peter

We will honour your memory now and forever.

Pray never again shall we take for granted

The sacrifices of our fallen dressed in red.

As I wrote this and read it over again, I could not help but shed tears for
the fallen. It is my hope that our government does not allow the deaths of
these selfless public servants be in vain. I refer to the marijuana bill,
which is now before the House. The decriminalization of any amount will
send a mixed message to our youth. Before even considering this, one should
put it under the same scrutiny that tobacco has been placed under. Already
doctors are saying that marijuana is just as toxic as cigarettes, some
reporting that one reefer is equivalent to five cigarettes.

There are indications that marijuana combined with alcohol has been used as
a date rape drug and I know of people who black out when combining the two.
Marijuana also affects the psyche. The couldn't-care-less attitude of teens
and the growing drop-out rate in our schools can all be traced to marijuana
and illicit drug use. Also, since most marijuana users also smoke tobacco
products, it would only make sense to canvass against the use of both these
substances, not just cigarettes.

One important fact is that marijuana is a depressant and can cause a
chemical imbalance in the brain and worsen the effects of persons who are
bipolar and manic depressive. I refer to this because the man who killed
the four officers may well have been suffering from manic depression and I
am sure the use of marijuana only worsened his condition. I know of persons
who are manic depressive and when they smoke marijuana have actually
displayed schizophrenic behaviour and had to be hospitalized.

As for the deaths of the four officers, let us remember that they died
trying to keep this substance off the streets. Decriminalizing any amount
of this stuff will be like nailing their coffins shut and putting more of
our police officers at risk. And to be blunt, I have to say that anyone who
uses marijuana, who sells it, who grows it, they all share in the guilt.
Their hands are just as red with the blood of these officers as the one who
pulled the trigger.

Ronald W. Ingram

St. Albert