'MUCH GREATER THREAT'

Parents should be more concerned about the garbage that kids eat inside a
McDonald's, not the "weed" they might smoke outside.

Statistically we know that junk food and lack of exercise pose a much
greater threat to Canadian youth and their health than all illicit drugs
combined.

We tell kids from an early age not to eat the stuff they find in bottles
under the sink, then trust them not to. However, with drugs, especially
cannabis, we tell kids all kinds of lies and propaganda, that they find out
on their own is simply not true. This puts them in grave danger.

It is good to caution kids about drugs, but far too often the message is
simply "Just Say No." When I was a teen in the 1980's we were told that if
we smoke pot once, we would end up as heroin addicts in a matter of weeks.
We saw that this was not true for the vast majority of pot users, and
rightly assumed we had been lied to. Then when adults actually do tell kids
the truth about the real dangers of crack and heroin, they won't believe it
(once bitten, twice shy).

Continued talk of prohibition and increasing the prohibitionist propaganda
aimed at kids is the biggest danger regarding "the drug problem" in our
culture. The reality of the situation is; Humans Get High. This will never
change. What we can change is the level and quality of information we give
kids.

We need to explain to kids clearly about the pros and cons of drug use,
give them all the true scientific knowledge we have at our disposal, remove
the shame and social stigma, and trust them to make wise decisions. This
will never happen in an environment of prohibition.

More people will eventually die from prescription drugs, diabetes and
obesity and heart problems caused by junk food and lack of exercise, than
every illicit drug combined. The sooner we clear off the prohibitionist
propaganda, the better.

Russell Barth

Educators For A Sensible Drug Policy

Ottawa