Pubdate: Fri, 15 Apr 2005
Source: Free Press, The (Houston, TX)
Copyright: 2005 The Free Press, Houston
Contact:  http://www.mapinc.org/media/3222
Note: This newspaper does not have a website.
Author: Dean Becker
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion)

FEAR... MAKES THE DRUG WAR POSSIBLE

Fear... could make this drug war... last forever!

Without the superstition, demonization and the public's blind
acceptance of our venerable witch doctor's pronouncements, drug
prohibition would easily be seen as the utter failure... of all time.

Our shaman, our keepers of the public morals... in this case, the
Attorney General, the Drug Czar, the administrator of the DEA, these
are the chief shaman, our witch doctors if you will.

"Give one of these Mexican beet workers a few puffs... from a marijuana
cigarette, and he'll think he's just been elected president of Mexico...
and set out to kill all his enemies." ... That's an actual quote from
the legislative "proceedings" just before the first marijuana law was
passed in the state of Wyoming.... What we have been doing in the US,
for the last 100 years or so, is vilifying certain of our brethren,
because they do drugs. Somewhat like the US civil war, which pitted
brother against brother, father against son, so too does the drug war;
pit us against one another over ideologies.

Fear, is relative. It's based on our experience, our training, our
upbringing and just plain old propaganda. During WWII, in Germany,
Jews and Gypsies, were considered by the Third Reich as
"unconditionally exterminable." Propaganda like this swayed the German
population to support the Reich and unified the people in their hatred
of Jews and other groups. They were led to believe that Jews were to
blame for the war and for the German peoples other sufferings and grievances

Let's think about that... led to believe. We have also been led to
believe that drug users are "unconditionally exterminable." We have
been taught that users are damned, literally damned and if we can't
break them from their habits, then death would be the best we can hope
for them. And why would we come to believe this? Why are users
exterminable?

Fear, derived from endless propaganda... flowing from the supposed
bastion of truth, the US government, the US media and the
multinational corporations that love the drug war, that make billions
of dollars because of drug prohibition.

Fear is relative; it's mostly about ourselves, our family, our loved
ones, and the future.

Would fear overwhelm you if you learned your child had been doing
drugs?

One of my three sons was on a years long binge, doing this terrible
drug nearly every day, neglecting his family, losing his job...
destroying his life. Imagine my great relief to discover that he had
stopped using this most terrible drug of them all... alcohol... and
switched, to doing nothing but marijuana.

Many doctors are now daring to say that for many alcoholics, marijuana
is a Godsend. Notable, here in Harris county, there's Dr. Terry
Rustin. Dr. Rustin has spent years helping addicts at the county's
psychiatric hospital. They're so overwhelmed they turn away up to 40
substance abusers a day because there's no room. Dr. Rustin says that
marijuana addicts far fewer of its users than certainly cocaine and
even alcohol, and often with less serious consequences.

Dr. Rustin told CBS news: "There are a lot of people who would be
better off if they used marijuana than if they used alcohol."

My father was an alcoholic; he was the driver when he and 3 of his
buddies died in a car wreck. I am an alcoholic, for a dozen years I
had countless accidents, tickets and arrests. On May 8th 1985 I quit
drinking, preferring to smoke the occasional joint if I want to catch
a buzz. I have not had a ticket, an accident or been arrested since.

So, it's "cutting time".  Who do you trust, the illustrious drug czar
or more than one hundred prestigious medical organizations that agree
with Dr. Rustin?

"God made marijuana, man made beer, who do you trust?"

Contact your Texas legislators at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/

Ed Rosenthal, America's Guru of Ganja is coming to Houston for the 4:20 Fest
on Saturday, April 23 at the Last Concert Cafe.  The 4:20 Fest will feature
eight great bands including Slapshifter, Mikado, Grooving Ground, Guy
Schwartz & The New Jack Hippies, Sean Reefer & The Resin Valley Boys, The
Hightailers and Mark May & The Agitators.  ( Starts  4:20 PM.  ) Note: On
Friday, April 22 at 1PM, Ed Rosenthal and a coalition of organizations will
be at the Harris County Courthouse to call for an end to the war on
medicinal marijuana users.  Call Dean Becker at 281-752-9198 to learn more.