A RESPONSE TO SACHIN HINGOO'S ARTICLE ABOUT HARM REDUCTION IN LAST WEEK'S ISSUE

Sachin, you are but a genius to suggest such a progressive tactic to
address current illicit drug use trends.

Indeed, attempting to educate people about the effects of drugs in terms of
altering their state of mind and in terms of the known effects on their
daily lives is, in my opinion, far better than simply making drugs illegal
and use thereof punishable. This progressive ideology stems from treating
the cause of a problem rather than suppressing the symptoms of it.

However, the purpose of my letter is not to exhaust my thoughts on the
issues of drug laws, but instead to remind you of a club that was initiated
but a few years ago - the Cannabis Awareness and Culture group (CAC). Yes,
now you remember.

Well, the mandate of CAC was to do exactly what you beg for in your
article, and right here at UTSC as well. CAC was a group where people that
were considering the use of mind altering DRUGS could come and learn about
the experiences of others in order for them to make a more educated
decision about trying DRUGS. This way, someone who was thinking of dropping
ACID for the first time might find out that the ACID tabs with the smiley
faces were laced with some other DRUG as well, while the tabs with pink
triangles were not. Or they might have found out that MAGIC MUSHROOMS
(psilocybin) pack quite a punch on the first-time user, and that they
should try the SHROOMS in a place they feel comfortable in, rather than a
rave. These are things that CAC firmly believed in, which is why student
affairs okayed the existence of what many might have thought was a POT
smoking club. Unfortunately, most people weren't that interested in CAC.
Not even the serious drug users.

As a result, CAC ceased to operate as a club after one year of existence
due to a lack of involvement. It seems this lack of student initiative,
involvement, and commitment is quite common across a variety of disciplines
at UTSC. This is in complete agreement with Gordon Lane's comment in the
News in Brief last week that UTSC students don't do anything.

So, I ask why do you bitch and whine about U of T not having a program that
educates students about drugs when we did have one, right here in
Scarlem.... a program that fell apart due to lack of initiative. If you're
interested in reviving CAC or a version thereof, the club's constitution
still exists.

Quentin Stossel

PS: As a side note, why do certain faculty members, who should be setting
an example for students, wait inside the S-Wing hallway during a fire alarm
instead of going outside?

Are they somehow exempt from catching on fire? "Because they're cold" is
NOT an acceptable answer.