POT/BOOZE COMPARISON ARE OFF

The Editor,

A glass of wine or a beer is not a problem - it's social. That being
said, consuming a full bottle of wine will seriously incapacitate me,
and though I'm only just "happy and relaxed," I know better than to
assume otherwise.

If I consume this bottle in a public place, I'll be arrested; if I do
so before or during work, I'll be fired. If I'm wandering about the
streets in this drunken stupor, I'll be arrested for public
drunkenness. If I'm driving a car, I'll be in a whole lot of trouble
(unless I'm a premier). If I do this more than once a week, I'm an
alcoholic and in serious need of help, and by no stretch of the
imagination, would anyone ever consider me to be an "innocent," even
if I'm taken away in the back of a police car.

True, it is possible to buy this 'drug' legally but it wasn't always
that way, particularly for hard-alcohol, which is still sold in
government-run stores, and in licensed consume-on-premises
establishments. Much of this has to do with the fact that, improperly
distilled, it can kill.

So why is it that marijuana, so often hailed as being "no worse than
alcohol," is supported by people who: want to consume it in public
places; want to consume the equivalent of a bottle of one (the effects
of a complete joint of B.C. Bud); want to do so before, after, and
during work; want to be able to be in this state in public places, to
be able to drive home afterwards, and to consume it frequently, "with
no harmful side effects."

On top of all that, an alcoholic can recover and be a functioning part
of society, with no more than a weak liver and a sensitivity to
alcohol; if you talk to any long-term users of cannabis, their
short-term memory is permanently destroyed and they rarely recover
from their "relaxed" state - not to mention the fact they often take
this "gateway drug" to new heights, with harder, more dangerous ones.

Maybe legalization of marijuana is the best avenue for control - sold
in government-run stores and available in licensed,
consume-on-premises establishments, with proper education campaigns
similar to those about the dangers of excessive alcohol, and
medical/counselling facilities, alike unto drunk-tanks and AA. But by
no stretch of the imagination are the consumers - of either alcohol or
cannabis - "innocents."

I'm not even going to touch on the references to Nazis and Jews. From
the permanently damaged fantasy world of a pot-head, I wouldn't expect
much less but the comparisons to alcohol are just so wrong.

Ben Fishman

Port Coquitlam