HIGH SEASON

Good Afternoon, Caller, You're In The Ether -- I Mean, On The
Air.

A radio gardening show in Scotland fielded a call yesterday from a
listener who wanted tips on growing a hybrid species called Northern
Lights. The experts dutifully provided helpful hints on propagating
the plant, and all would have been well but for a touch of
miscommunication. The experts thought the fellow had inquired about
cabbage; in fact, he had asked about cannabis.

A BBC Scotland spokesman was quick to say after the show that, had the
hosts realized the subject was marijuana, they would have cut the call
short. For our part, we were left wondering about the result of
growing cannabis with instructions in-tended for cabbages. Cole slaw
that goes particularly well with pot roast?

Meanwhile, in Chippewa Falls, Wisc., the warden of the newly built
Highview Correctional Facility wants to change the prison's name. He
doesn't think the word "high" is appropriate for an institution that
treats inmates for drug and alcohol dependence. Presumably his
misgivings would also rule out high security, and give pause to the
wardens of any prisons near Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains.

We do have one question, though: Is the warden of a drug-treatment
facility obliged to encourage prisoners to break out of the joint?