THIS JUST IN: WEED, LIKE, TOTALLY EXPANDS YOUR MIND

In the December 2 issue of The Daily, Zainab al-Dhaher wrote: "As with all
drugs, the low is indeed low." This is emphatically not the case with
marijuana. There is simply no "low," only an absence. Perhaps this is
because marijuana is not toxic like other drugs people use. No one has ever
overdosed on marijuana and died.

The whole point of marijuana, and other psychoactive drugs such as
mescaline and LSD, is the subjective experience of an altered
consciousness. We may see or hear the same things as before, but our
interpretation changes. This is not intellectual and sensual
impoverishment, but enhancement, and it has its place among things humans
enjoy. It is said the councils of the ancient Teutonic tribes would debate
important issues twice before coming to a decision, once drunk and once
sober, and that the Scythians would throw sheaves of ripe cannabis on
bonfires and stand around and inhale the smoke while cheering loudly.

However, most people will agree that smoking pot is not good for young
people during school hours. The fact-packed and fast-paced classroom
experience does not lend itself to the contemplative state that cannabis
induces. Consciousness alteration is not for all situations. Whenever
intensive, concentrated, and goal-directed efforts are required, the
conventional consciousness is best equipped for the task.

Most people who use drugs are able to integrate new consciousnesses into
their everyday lives without any problems. (The greatest potential danger
is the legal status, obviously.) Unfortunately, drug-war journalism
continuously evokes images of drug users as pure Skid Row, with broken
families, prostitution, shooting galleries littered with needles, and
derelicts who roll in the gutter with vomit on their pants. But that's only
one tiny segment of the spectrum of alcohol and drug abuse, and has nothing
to do with the recreational habits of most people. Just as you can drink
beer and wine and, on occasion, hard liquor without "ruining your life,"
most users of consciousness-altering drugs are "responsible."

Harry D. Fisher

Woodland Hills, CA