Pubdate: Thu, 15 Nov 2001
Source: Columbian, The (WA)
Website: http://www.columbian.com/
Address: 701 W 8th St, Vancouver, WA 98666
Contact:  2001 The Columbian Publishing Co.
Forum: http://www.webforums.com/forums/trace/host/msa70.html
Author: Sandra S. Bennett

POT USE IS PRESCRIPTION FOR DISASTER

The Nov. 11 Clark County section carried a trio of articles inextricably 
tied together.

First we have Greg Herrington's Political Notebook, "Clark County 
Republican activists get 'guns and Bible label." It was about how upset the 
Democrats in Washington state are that the state's Republicans had bused 
volunteers in from other communities to try to influence votes in Snomish 
County.

This was particularly interesting because a couple of years ago the 
Democrats were almost unanimous in supporting an initiative to medicalize 
marijuana, an initiative that was cooked up by California legalizers, toted 
around the state by California signature gatherers and paid for by 
billionaire George Soros and his cohorts, none of whom were citizens of 
Washington state.  That's a far more egregious foul than citizens of one 
state county politicking in another.

Then their is the farewell piece, "Merriest prankster dies," about Ken 
Kesey who "went 28 years before publishing his third major novel."  It 
appears that during those wasted years Kesey was so zonked out out on LSD, 
marijuana and whatever else he was using that his ability to write was 
severely impaired.  Marijuana is especially hard on the immune system, so 
perhaps Kesey's risky behavior played a role in his illness; it certainly 
couldn't have helped, unless masking symptoms counts.  And, of course, 
society is supposed to believe that masking symptoms by smoking dope is 
good medicine simply because the media keeps parroting drug culture 
propaganda that says it is.

Last in this trio, there was David Broder's column, "DEA's effort against 
medical pot is misplaced."  The only thing misplaced is Broder's sense of 
true compassion for the sick individuals who have been duped into believing 
that it is good medicine for doctors to suggest that they smoke pot.  Even 
in liberal Canada, the physicians are balking at such a lame-brained idea.

The truth is the feds should have made the move to stop the pot clinics in 
1996 when California passed its "medical pot" initiative, legislation that 
continues to be in violation of federal anti-drug laws and international 
treaties and flouts Federal Drug Administration regulations, Soros and his 
friends used their wealth to pay for a media blitz that relied on innuendo 
and misinformation to seduce Californians into passing this illegal 
action.  Then, their seasoned petition signature gatherers marched into 
Oregon and Washington.

Laxity Toward Enforcement

Cheered on by the media, and with the Drug Enforcement Administration 
fettered by the Clinton administration's laxity toward drug enforcement, 
legalizers moved like locusts into other vulnerable states, with 
predictable results: Marijuana use has proliferated; growing operations 
operate in the open; pot doctors indiscriminately hand out marijuana 
recommendations, even to children; and pot advocates are even more audacious.

Never mind that marijuana use is a major cause of drug-related emergency 
room episodes.  Never mind that marijuana users are 80 times more likely to 
use heroin and cocaine, the drugs that support international terrorists 
activities.  The goal of medical pot advocates is not compassion; it is 
expanding the opportunity to use psycho- active and addictive drugs without 
fear of legal or social consequences.

Enforcing federal anti-drug laws must be seen as part of our ongoing effort 
to keep drugs out of the hands of children and part of America's war 
against terrorism.  Now is none to soon to get serious.

Bravo to Asa Hutchinson, head of the DEA, for finally taking the bull by 
the horns and putting a stop to illegal trafficking in marijuana, 
reguardless of how that trafficking has been disguised.

Sandra S. Bennett is director of Northwest Center for Health and Safety in 
Portland, and a board member of Educating Vocies Inc. and an advisory board 
member of Security on Campus Inc. She lives in La Center, Washington.
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