Pubdate: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 Source: Springfield News-Leader (MO) Copyright: 2003 The Springfield News-Leader Contact: http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1129 Author: Joe Donohue Note: The author is a Southwest Missouri State University junior ANTI-MARIJUANA TV ADS RIDICULOUS I want to address the war on marijuana. I don't smoke pot. I've quit. I don't even miss it. However, the ridiculous commercials that I've seen lately, which paint a false picture of pot smokers, compel me to dispute their accuracy. For example, pot smokers didn't contribute to the attack on Sept. 11. It's appalling that anyone has the audacity to use thousands of dead Americans to lay a guilt trip on people who were just as horrified and mournful as every other U.S. citizen was. I know I never bought weed that came from out of the country. I've never even heard an al-Qaida member make reference to marijuana. Al-Qaida didn't need revenue from marijuana sales to fund its violence. Al-Qaida used our tax money to fund a terrorist act. That's an exaggeration, but my point is undeniable. American money was used to train Osama bin Laden's rebel group. The newest anti-marijuana commercials, of course, don't mention this. Instead, they blame pot and spread their virus of fear throughout our country. We're supposed to fear terrorism. No problem. I'm scared. We're supposed to fear pot. Sorry, I don't buy it. Fear terrorism so that we can drop bombs -- bombs that kill kids -- in the oil-producing region free of guilt. Fear pot to remain distracted from the reasons for terrorism. Another ad shows two kids hitting a bong in the office of one of their fathers. One kid gets so stoned that he shoots his friend after he finds his father's gun. The flaw in this scenario is that this kid is an imbecile. Pot didn't raise a moron; his parents did. Also, this commercial makes no mention of the fact that Daddy left accessible a fully loaded, shiny pistol for little Johnny to grab. Finally, the most insulting of all of this propaganda is the ad that shows a couple smoking a pipe together. They giggle and giggle. Then he rapes her. I'm sorry, what? Grass does not induce violence. I have wasted many hours being stoned. It added to my apathy, left me lethargic and bored, made it impossible to work my DVD player, but never gave me the slightest inclination that rape is an option. But then, I'm not a rapist, nor a terrorist, nor simple-minded enough to point a gun at anyone's head. I'm just a guy who used to smoke pot. - --- MAP posted-by: Alex