CANADA GOING TO POT

Not many Canadians would disagree with the idea that certain
self-destructive activities, if permitted by law, have a negative impact on
the health of individuals and of society as a whole and are thus unacceptable.

The laws concerning marijuana use are a case in point. The current trend
toward liberalizing these laws is disturbing.

The case against pot is a strong one. Numerous studies have shown marijuana
to be a "gate-way drug" that leads to harder drug use; marijuana use has
also been linked to lung cancer, short term memory loss, as well as a host
of other ailments and afflictions.

Obviously, marijuana is a plague upon our society and we would all be
better off if it were erased from the face of the earth.

But how can we do this?

We must lead by example. One major reason why our youth are being seduced
by pot is because of the hypocrisy they perceive in their elders' behaviour.

Take, for example, the current legality and the prevalence of alcohol and
cigarette use. Alcohol, like marijuana, is a well-known gateway drug, the
use of which often leads, ironically enough, to marijuana use. Alcohol is
also largely responsible for skyrocketing incidences of heart and liver
disease, domestic violence, auto fatalities, and so forth.

As for cigarettes, they are also well-documented killers: cancer and
emphysema rob thousands of Canadians of their lives each year.

The time has come to ban all these harmful substances; only by doing so can
we send the right message to our youth.

But we can not stop there. If these things are killers, then so too are
other currently tolerated behaviours: automobile drivers kill themselves by
the tens of thousands each year. There are those who will plead, "I am a
moderate driver and have never harmed myself in decades of driving," but
the statistics make a lie of such seemingly innocent claims. If we are not
to be hypocrites, cars must go too-no matter how painful many of us will
find the change.

Skateboarding, skiing, junk food, kids on swings, the list goes on and on:
examples of reckless activities resulting in harm to one's self are
everywhere you look. It is time for a new law in this country: call it the
Harmful Substances and Activities Law. This law would send a clear message:
activities that can lead to self-harm will not be tolerated in this country.

As we here at the Eye see it, the only non-hypocritical alternative to the
Harmful Substances and Activities Law would be to allow all these
activities, marijuana use included, to continue-and no one wants to go down
that road.

The idea that people should be free to do whatever they want unless it
harms others has no place in a democracy.

It's time for us to act according to our principles and show our youth the way.

Don't delay. Call your MP today.