GIVE SALVIA A BREAK

To the editor:

Re: Petition to ban 'magic mint' in July 11 North Star

"We have enough drugs in our area," said Mayor Richard Adams. "We
don't need another one."

Why? Who is Mayor Adams, or I, or anyone, to say who should put what
into their own bodies? Who is he, everyone's dad?

Furthermore, because of the spiritual nature of salvia's effects, he
is also, in effect, saying "People shouldn't be allowed to think this
way". Why? Who is he, or I, or anyone to say which is the right way to
connect with The Creator, and which is the wrong way?

For all any of us know, using psychotropic plants to have psychedelic
experiences actually pleases God, and maybe all this singing, and
fancy churches, and long robes make Him really mad.

God made all the plants; see Genesis. God made salvia! Is the mayor
saying he knows better than The Creator? Would he put God in jail for
"inventing salvia with intent to distribute"?

Beyond that, there is no better way to get a kid to try a drug than
telling him it is dangerous, crazyfun, and that it will make adults
angry if they use it.

Making a drug illegal is half the fun for some users, so a criminal
ban is like saying "I dare ya to try it".

This one article, and the mayor-induced hype around it, just
encouraged countless new teenaged thrill seekers.

Banning a fun substance also gives the gangsters one more commodity to
profit from, and if the 70-year-long prohibition on pot is any
indication, banning salvia will likely result in a huge increase in
teen use.

So to recap, Mayor Adams wants the government to control what you can
put into your own body, what you can put in your mind, while hyping a
relatively safe herb as the new thrill ride for kids, and calling for
a prohibition that will serve gangsters and make salvia as easy for
kids to access as pot.

RUSSELL BARTH

Federal medical marijuana licence holder

Ottawa