Pubdate: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 Source: St. Albert Gazette (CN AB) Copyright: 2005 St. Albert Gazette Contact: http://www.stalbertgazette.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2919 Author: Ronald W. Ingram Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) MARIJUANA USERS SHARE GUILT IN RCMP DEATHS For Our Fallen Dressed In Red By R. Ingram Our men and women in red do lay Their lives on the line each and every day For the people of the country they protect and serve It is far more than we Canadians deserve. And as their epitaphs in honour were read And wreaths of flowers laid at their head Mournful tears were freely shed For our fallen dressed in red. So let us honour forever the memory Of the recent four who died for God and country Constables Anthony, Brock, Lionide and Peter We will honour your memory now and forever. Pray never again shall we take for granted The sacrifices of our fallen dressed in red. As I wrote this and read it over again, I could not help but shed tears for the fallen. It is my hope that our government does not allow the deaths of these selfless public servants be in vain. I refer to the marijuana bill, which is now before the House. The decriminalization of any amount will send a mixed message to our youth. Before even considering this, one should put it under the same scrutiny that tobacco has been placed under. Already doctors are saying that marijuana is just as toxic as cigarettes, some reporting that one reefer is equivalent to five cigarettes. There are indications that marijuana combined with alcohol has been used as a date rape drug and I know of people who black out when combining the two. Marijuana also affects the psyche. The couldn't-care-less attitude of teens and the growing drop-out rate in our schools can all be traced to marijuana and illicit drug use. Also, since most marijuana users also smoke tobacco products, it would only make sense to canvass against the use of both these substances, not just cigarettes. One important fact is that marijuana is a depressant and can cause a chemical imbalance in the brain and worsen the effects of persons who are bipolar and manic depressive. I refer to this because the man who killed the four officers may well have been suffering from manic depression and I am sure the use of marijuana only worsened his condition. I know of persons who are manic depressive and when they smoke marijuana have actually displayed schizophrenic behaviour and had to be hospitalized. As for the deaths of the four officers, let us remember that they died trying to keep this substance off the streets. Decriminalizing any amount of this stuff will be like nailing their coffins shut and putting more of our police officers at risk. And to be blunt, I have to say that anyone who uses marijuana, who sells it, who grows it, they all share in the guilt. Their hands are just as red with the blood of these officers as the one who pulled the trigger. Ronald W. Ingram St. Albert - --- MAP posted-by: Beth