Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
Every once in awhile I pick up this esteemed newspaper and around May 5, 2009 I chanced upon Letters to the Editor: Is The War On Drugs Worth The Collateral Damage.
In it were four letters. They were responding to two OP-ED articles: one by a Yale University Professor of Law, Steven B. Duke, advocating decriminalization of marijuana use and possession, and a totally opposing article by John P. Walters, former U. S. Drug Czar, who should be by now, totally discredited for his totally false statements about marijuana in particular which he strangely equates with Heroi*n, Met*h and Co*caine.
I don't know why he didn't include Alcohol and Tobacco which are even more addicting and lethal than the previous three.
If John Walters statements had any factual backing, the 80 million occasional users and the 15 million frequent users of marijuana in the U. S. would be committing all manner of serious crimes like murder and rape or would be dying like flies from this DANGEROUS WEED.
The fact is that marijuana is one of the safest medicines ever found, as stated by DEA Administrative Judge Francis Young September 1988.
Even the Governator seems to recommend decriminalization of marijuana and 13 states have essentially done so by legalizing medical marijuana with patients appearing in droves to get the legalization permits.
One short letter nearly blew me away. I am reproducing it verbatim:
"I resent the myth fostered by the pro-legalization organizations that minimize the dangers of marijuana. Not only is it addictive, but it is also harmful with serious long-term effects. It is a gateway drug all too often as well.
Mankind is cursed with many ills, but giving up on the cures by pretending there is no evil is superficial, cowardly and immoral."
If there weren't another name at the bottom I would have sworn this trash was written by John Walters.
To clarify my remarks, marijuana is about as addictive as a Starbucks Latte or an aspirin. It is less harmful than caffeine or aspirin and far less than alcohol or tobacco - real but legal killers.
It's no more a gateway drug than beer or tobacco. Marijuana as Cannabis was once the most prescribed/most used effective medicine in the U. S.
It is presently used effectively for about 50 different disease processes and has never killed anyone. That's more than anyone can say about any other medicine.
As one writer points out ANY of the aforementioned drugs and any others can be easily obtained if one knows the right street corner. The laws for illegality only make dope dealers rich. I mean millionaires.
As long as there is a scotch whisky, people like John Walters and one author of the posted letters are going to demonize cannabis.
IT'S TIME FOR LEGALIZATION!
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Salem-News.com
Author: Dr. Phil Leveque
Copyright: 2009 Salem-News.com
Contact: newsroom@salem-news.com
Website: Marijuana and the Wall Street Journal - Salem-News.Com
In it were four letters. They were responding to two OP-ED articles: one by a Yale University Professor of Law, Steven B. Duke, advocating decriminalization of marijuana use and possession, and a totally opposing article by John P. Walters, former U. S. Drug Czar, who should be by now, totally discredited for his totally false statements about marijuana in particular which he strangely equates with Heroi*n, Met*h and Co*caine.
I don't know why he didn't include Alcohol and Tobacco which are even more addicting and lethal than the previous three.
If John Walters statements had any factual backing, the 80 million occasional users and the 15 million frequent users of marijuana in the U. S. would be committing all manner of serious crimes like murder and rape or would be dying like flies from this DANGEROUS WEED.
The fact is that marijuana is one of the safest medicines ever found, as stated by DEA Administrative Judge Francis Young September 1988.
Even the Governator seems to recommend decriminalization of marijuana and 13 states have essentially done so by legalizing medical marijuana with patients appearing in droves to get the legalization permits.
One short letter nearly blew me away. I am reproducing it verbatim:
"I resent the myth fostered by the pro-legalization organizations that minimize the dangers of marijuana. Not only is it addictive, but it is also harmful with serious long-term effects. It is a gateway drug all too often as well.
Mankind is cursed with many ills, but giving up on the cures by pretending there is no evil is superficial, cowardly and immoral."
If there weren't another name at the bottom I would have sworn this trash was written by John Walters.
To clarify my remarks, marijuana is about as addictive as a Starbucks Latte or an aspirin. It is less harmful than caffeine or aspirin and far less than alcohol or tobacco - real but legal killers.
It's no more a gateway drug than beer or tobacco. Marijuana as Cannabis was once the most prescribed/most used effective medicine in the U. S.
It is presently used effectively for about 50 different disease processes and has never killed anyone. That's more than anyone can say about any other medicine.
As one writer points out ANY of the aforementioned drugs and any others can be easily obtained if one knows the right street corner. The laws for illegality only make dope dealers rich. I mean millionaires.
As long as there is a scotch whisky, people like John Walters and one author of the posted letters are going to demonize cannabis.
IT'S TIME FOR LEGALIZATION!
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Salem-News.com
Author: Dr. Phil Leveque
Copyright: 2009 Salem-News.com
Contact: newsroom@salem-news.com
Website: Marijuana and the Wall Street Journal - Salem-News.Com
