On 07-17-97  07:08, Jane Kelley typed to Ty Meissner
  regarding: => Marijuana & children <=
 Hello Jane,
	   -------------------     >8  snip !    ---------------------
 TM>      You'd probabaly be surprised by the number of successful law
 TM>      enforcement officers, lawyers, judges, doctors, dentists, bankers,
 TM>      computer scientists, commodity traders, and NURSES who smoke pot 
ow
 TM>      and then, for recreational purposes.
 TM>      Would you characterize them as irrsponsible ?   I don't think so.
 JK> I would.  You can excuse their behavior away if you chose to, I've
 JK> seen too much misery from this noxious weed over the past 30 years to
 JK> believe otherwise.  There are, for example, several members of one
      What behavior are you talking about ?   Wer're talking about the
      doctors, lawyers, dentists, bankers, etc. NOT drug use by children.
      Lets stay on topic, please.
 JK> daughter's high school class who died before graduation in auto
 JK> accidents......the result of the difference in the immediate withdrawal
 JK> of pot and alcohol in a speeding car around 2-3 am.
      Auto accident as "result withdrawal symptoms ?"  Not a very credible
      assertion.   More likely, if intoxicants played any part in addition
      to the inherent inexperience and impulsivity of young drivers, they
      were probabaly still under the influence.
 JK> Then the kids in the old King County Jail and the North Rehabilitation
 JK> Facility come to mind who we couldn't get out of bed in the morning
 JK> for breakfast.  They were still in the acute stages of withdrawal from
 JK> pot when arrested.
      Why do act as if I advocated that children abuse drugs ?
      Please lets not throw in these red herrings.   We were talking,
      STRICTLY about adult use.
      I remind you that I think that in general, the use of ALL drugs by
      children is inadvisable.   But there are many exceptions.
      I don't think that fictitiously demonizing recreational drugs beyond
      all reason when most prescription drugs are inherently more dangerous
      than recreational drugs is helpful.
 JK> Anyone who knows that these things are possible from the use of the
 JK> stuff and who goes on and ingests it has no respect from me at all.
 JK> I've listened to too many addicts over the years who have made it to
 JK> recovery from the damn stuff to believe anyone else on this subject.
      I think the best approach is total honesty about important issues
      like drugs and sex.   The kind of Reefer Madness hysteria which you
      seem to advocate damages our credibility with the younger generations
      - who have AWLWAYS seen through their elders' pathetic lies.   Kids
      are bright enough to know that not every, not even every other
      individual who experiments with drugs becomes addicted.   They know
      that 1 out of 10 who experiments WILL become addicted but that those
      individuals have other negative experiences in life directing them to
      self destructive behaviors.
      If there are individuals whose lives are so devoid of pleasure or
      happiness that they need to turn to addiction, would you prefer to
      delve into the cause of their misery or would you prefer to punish
      them for their immorality ?   I myself prefer to eliminate the
      underlying causes of misery.   Other people get more enjoyment out of
      punishment.
      But since punishment, in spite of its tremendous satisfaction, never
      solves anything, I think if society wants to save itself (and part of
      it - behind the walled, guarded villas - doesn't want to) it better
      switch over to the harm reduction model immediately.
      Regards,
      Ty
	 Ty Meissner        E-MAIL: Ty.meissner@grape.net  
     I will sleep and dream like the air, and move like the wind, with 
assion
     when it pleases me.  The Universe is not up there... Its here, and we're 
     in it, third rock out from the sun.   --  Peter Spiro
... Its easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.
___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30 [NR]
--- QScan/PCB v1.16b / 01-0507
---------------