Pubdate: Sun, 24 Jun 2007
Source: Langley Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2007 Langley Times
Contact:  http://www.langleytimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1230
Author: Travis Erbacher
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

PARANOID BEHAVIOUR DUE TO MARIJUANA PROHIBITION

Editor: I would like to clarify a few points concerning A. Brown's 
"Wake Up Call" to the parents of Langley teens (The Times, June 20).

I will work through the letter chronologically for the sake of logic, 
something I believe was sorely missing from the letter.

One of the most commonly used arguments for marijuana prohibition is 
that marijuana use causes paranoid behaviour. The remedy offered is 
that parents drive by to stalk their children.

For the record, it is prohibition that causes paranoia, not THC (the 
active ingredient in marijuana). As for the generic, unspecific claim 
of laced marijuana, I would like to put this issue to rest once and 
for all. There is nothing to gain for dealers lacing their pot with 
other more expensive, rarer substances. Again, logic can go a long way.

The only possible adulterant in marijuana would be PCP, as 
methamphetamine cannot be consumed in the same methods as marijuana 
and would simply burn. The same goes for cocaine and virtually every 
other substance that is used as a scare tactic.

And as far as PCP goes, it is a possibility, I will not claim 
otherwise. That is only true if one goes out of their way to look for it.

And if that is the case with your child, there are more important 
questions you have to ask.

Moving on, how dare A. Brown say that our young people are turning 
Langley into the downtown eastside? Attitudes like the kind proposed 
have turned homelessness into such a problem in the first place.

Archaic, retribution-style parenting is what gets children kicked out 
of their home or emotionally damaged to the point of using hard drugs 
in the first place.

I write this letter to give my own wake-up call to not only the 
parents, but the teens of Langley as well. Get the real information 
about issues such as this.

With the evolution of technology providing us with such an 
information source as the Internet, and print mediums such as this, 
maybe we can all wake up and stop being anesthetized. Is it not your 
duty to be educated as a member of a democratic society?

Travis Erbacher,

Langley
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman