THINK AGAIN ON CANNABIS BILL

MY UNDERSTANDING is that the Minister for Health, Bob Kucera, is not a
doctor and therefore would not have taken the Hippocratic oath. But because
he is the Minister for Health and responsible for the health of every West
Australian, unlike a GP who is responsible for a few thousand, he should
take a look at the Hippocratic oath, especially the part that says "do no
harm".

If there is any doubt in the Minister's mind about cannabis being harmful,
then he should have nothing to do with the Cannabis Control Bill. The
Minister is there to serve the people of WA, not those who lobby hard to
serve their own purposes. It is obvious to me that relaxing the law on
cannabis will serve only to increase its use.

No one wants to see others become criminals and there is an easy way around
this: don't do it. We need to promote self-control in the community and
that means we start in the home. But not only in the home. Our children are
our future and all are responsible for teaching them, especially those who
are paid by the taxpayers' dollar. Of course, the best way to teach our
children something is by example. We cannot teach them when we say "don't
do as I do, do as I say". Our children are our responsibility.

Perhaps at this point it would be appropriate to take a quote from Roslyn
Carter, wife of a former president of the United States: "A leader takes
the people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they
don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be."

David McMEECHAN, President, Australian Parents Movement, Wanneroo.