Saturday, September 21, 2013

ANOTHER VOICE BEING HEARD

PAM McCOLL, who iss the local push behind SAM - Smart Approaches to Marijuana - has set this Letter to the Editor, which the Sun will publish  tomorrow or Monday.

Harper needs to stop cracking jokes and take responsibility for embarrassing the nation.

Early this year UNICEF revealed that more Canadian kids smoke marijuana than anywhere else in the western world and the Prime Minister is cracking jokes about Sir John A. MacDonald
and his( Harper's)  own sobriety.

A UNICEF report released in the spring of 2013 ranked Canada first out of 29 countries on the percentage of young people smoking pot. 28 per cent of the 11 - 15-year-old Canadian children surveyed said they had smoked marijuana during the last year. This is an embarrassment for our country and a very sad comment on the effect the Harper government has had on prevention and education. This is a public health crisis and political pundIts are arguing over legalization and decriminalization when the majority of the pot market is under age and will continue to be regardless of effort to legalize. The legalization of marijuana could well increase access and availability to the youth market and enhance not dilute the criminal distribution of pot in this country.

CNN ( Anderson Cooper ) news reported that in the State of Colorado three young people died from synthetic marijuana use and 150 were hospitalized this week but that went pretty much unreported in this weeks Canadian media.

Few of the 90% of Canadians who don't use marijuana understand what legalization or decriminalization looks like and the discussion needs to move to what commercialization, and normalizing marijuana would mean to our kids. Anyone who downplays the risks and harm marijuana poses to youth will at some point in the near future be called out. In the meantime where on earth is Health Canada and the advocates for public health in this country ? Politicians sit down until this country has had a change to discuss this in depth and say no if someone asks you to sign a call for referendum at this time.

2 comments:

  1. Pam McColl is an ignorant woman who has never bothered to educate herself on the FACTS of marijuana. She, along with many others who are against marijuana legalisation, continue to spew out the same trashy propaganda used to make marijuana illegal in the first place. For instance, she still believes that marijuana is a gateway drug to other illegal substances, however she, along with many others, seem to forget that alcohol is also a drug and consumed by many more young people across the country than marijuana and is also consumed first, before moving onto marijuana or any other legal/illegal drug. Her own personal biases against marijuana have clouded any ability she may have to reasonably argue the position that she takes.

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  2. Cannabis legalization is on the way. This has been figured out by qualified people who have studied and practiced medicine extensively and with compassion. We all have cannabinoids in mother's milk. If you deplete it from your system you will get sick. Then you will want the healing properties of this amazing plant. It is unfortunate alcohol is available for it is implicated in family violence, deaths and fire. Marijuana is relaxing and has never been implicated in one death. You can learn not to be biased nor to cherry pick your slant to discredit the new and wonderful news of the gift from our Lord God, marijuana. Begin to read the books of the doctors who are using cannabis to heal cancers, shrink tumors, reduce pain, and sooth a thousand disorders. So many health applications, did you know? Of course, cannabis provides pleasure. Shh, Pam, pleasure is not so bad, is it . Pam. I dare say you might have had a drink. Be reasonable and we will listen to you but not from your funny platform . You seem to demand attention, so get educated! Now's the time before we get this all legalized and you have nothing to occupy your evangelic story. Marijuana has been incorrectly presented to the public. So many companies made money off of prohibition of alcohol. Now the same occurs with cannabis. Jails, sick kids, neighbour against neighbour are bad outcomes. You've contributed to harmful distribution of misinformation. This resonates with those who are fearful, like you. Instead, really learn the facts. Start with Canada's Senate reports 1972, 1992, 2002. Take your pick! Canadians want Canadians informed by the documents that influence policy and law outside of patronage. Marijuana's harm is created through it's illegality. Your challenge to champion that which hurts most. Remember the sick and dying and those who lives are ruining for a herb, a plant, a medicine, Here are a couple of more resources to help you grasp this subject and join the right side. www.calgaycmmc.com and the doctor's cannabis site www.ccic.net. There was a 15th Annual Cannabis Conference yesterday at the University of Victoria. Two medical doctors spoke of the amazing results of their good medicine using cannabis! Are you seeing a doctor? Do you think he knows more about medicine than you? These distinguished doctors know leagues more than you about any physical or social aspect of the cannabis field. They are excited to offer the public cannabis for health and social change for justice. If you need ever really need cannabis for inflammation or cancer will you take it, or die? Some don't get to use it and do die. The picture of two 6 year old's were sent you. One died Saturday; the other was sent home to die and now is healing. Stand up for what's right if you must speak. Drop you bias and join kinder people. You can release fear. The future will be safer when you do!

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