EDUCATION ON DRUGS

Editor, Sir;

After reading the ad in the Observer page 25 January 25 issue, I
thought it was a joke, but I will assume that the writer of the ad
does not want to be identified due to the legal ramifications of the
message the ad is sending.

Also noted is why the Observer would allow such an ad? or is it a
perverse version and gray area of "Freedom of Speech Act, under
Fundamental freedoms: Part 1 Paragraph 2 (b) "or the simple fact that
the word "Marijuana" is not printed there and we are led to believe
that the writer is talking about some sort of weed? Perhaps some weed
on Haida Gwaii which the writer is referring to? I don't think Devil's
Club is illegal is it? What's next? an ad to go purchase "weed" listed
in the Observer.? or an ad for "reel movies" translation: child porn?

At first I thought it was a free speech campaign but it is nothing
more than someone justifying that they should be allowed to smoke pot.

The message advocates smoking and possessing Marijuana and we or
rather the writer should be able to do that. The writer must be
oblivious to the fact of the effect of drugs on the human brain and
addictions and clearly stating the fact that: "Only idiots compare me
to alcohol, coke, and crystal meth" "we are not in the same boat or
sea"

The facts on addictions are: "A drug is a drug is a drug" it is also
clear that the writer knows nothing about addictions & the writer goes
on to say: "52-percent of BC-ers have admitted to trying me" but the
writer neglected the percent who tried it and then left it alone and
the others who tried it and became addicted to it and also went on to
more powerful drugs, moving on to either organized crime and suicide,
the cunning, baffling, powerful development of an addiction.

Statistics Canada: Released July 2004 The proportion of Canadians aged 15
or older who admit to using cannabis nearly doubled in 13 years, with the
highest rates among teenagers, according to a new study based on data from
the Canadian Community Health Survey. Nearly half (47-percent) of those who
had used cannabis in the previous year had done so less than once a month.
About 10-percent reported they had used it on a weekly basis, and another
10-percent said they used it daily.

Education: Marijuana is a mixture of leaves, stems, and seeds that come
from the cannabis sativa plant, (pronounced "can-E-bus sa-TEE-va"). There
are over 400 chemicals in marijuana. The chemical that makes the human mind
work incorrectly is called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (pronounced
"tetra-hi-dro-CAN-nab-a-nol") (THC). This is the chemical that makes people
addicted to marijuana.

Here is what scientists know about marijuana. They know its use can
cause people to forget things and interfere with learning. It can make
you see and hear things that aren't there or distort the way you see
and hear. Using marijuana makes it harder for you to think and solve
problems. Also, if you use marijuana, you can become very
uncoordinated. Marijuana can also increase your heartbeat and make you
feel paranoid. Basically, being high on marijuana makes you do stupid
things that could either embarrass or hurt you or those around you.

When you smoke marijuana, you make your immune system weaker. When it is
weaker, it is not as able to stop allergies, pollens, bacteria, or viruses
from making you very sick. I have seen too many people suffer from
addictions and die from it, and it has a lot to do with what we as a
society will tolerate and treatment of mental illness, the argument "It's
natural and made by nature" is not valid as it is the same as sugar: "Oh I
don't eat sugar, I eat honey because it's natural and the bees made
it"-well sorry to say, the honey the bees make is 99.9-percent pure sugar!
and chances are if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it probably
is a duck! Prevention: Go to this website for prevention help:
http://www.health.org/

There is hope! Go to this website for help with your
addiction: http://www.marijuana-anonymous.org/

Mike McLeod

Masset