[Previous entry: "DRUG CZAR, PROHIBITION ESTABLISHMENT SEEK "ZERO TOLERANCE" FOR "DRUGGED DRIVING""] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Letters: Where in the Bible does it state that marijuana use is prohibited?"]

11/27/2002: "In Pencil: Assumptions - A Luxury That Can No Longer Be Afforded"

I made a fool of myself yesterday. As the title suggests, there was some assuming done on my part. It left me shaking my head all evening. If I didn't have that soft spot for firefighters, I would have been okay.

You see, I caught a letter to the editor today questioning the intergrity and corruptability of firefighters for the position they took on "letting pot burn". To be honest, it was pretty early in the morning, I was preparing for a radio interview and I just wasn't paying the attention to detail as I should have been. Besides it was firefighters and ever since the movie Back Draft I have had the utmost respect for these everyday heroes. So without checking out the story, I zipped off a letter in defense of their position to the editor. A pretty good letter I thought. Yesterday evening I received an email from the editor saying he would be happy to publish my letter, but needed additional info. I happily sent it. Then I started thinking about how many times I had been contacted by editors in reference to my letters. Out of the handful of published lte's I have written, I have never received such an enthusiastic response. I became suspicious and went hunting down the news article that had brought the intergrity of these firefighters in question.

(cont'd @ [more...])

Sure enough, contradictory to my assumptions, the story was about firefighters not putting out fires where marijuana growing activity was suspected. The article was actually title, "Fire at the Pot Farm? Let it Burn". My assumption was that firefighters were above politics, they were there for the people, not government and would put out fires and rescue lives regardless. It never occurred to me that they wouldn't. I hastily drafted a recant to my previous letter to the editor in support of the firefighter's position and prayed that it wouldn't be published.

While this was a Canadian newspaper reporting on local policy, I can not help but wonder, in light of the renewed efforts in the war on cannabis, how far the United States government may be from policies such as these. Evidence of drug use already bars many from gainful employment - as if people that use cannabis have no need to support themselves. There is also the drug free student provision in the Higher Education Act blocks access to education for tens of thousands of students that need it most. Will evidence of drug use or a criminal record of drug charges eliminate citizens from emergency services as it is increasingly barring them from employment and higher education? How far can this go?

Until people of this country - family, friends and colleagues - realize that the cannabis users are not monsters that deserve to be criminalized, or their houses allowed to burn, but genuine human beings, with the vast majority being tax paying and otherwise law abiding citizens, those at risk of being affected by these policies or those that care about someone that is, can no longer afford to make any assumptions about how far this can or can not go. Now is the time to speak up and get involved, before things get even more out of hand.


More Information

Drug Reform Coordination Network
Students for Sensible Drug Policy
Drug War Facts Book - Drug Testing
Drug War Clock

Replies: 4 Comments

You are invited to visit some relevant pages in the field of gmc home mortgage loan in indiana gmc home mortgage loan in indiana http://www.gmc-home-mortgage-loan-in-indiana-consultant.info/ non profit debt consolidation non profit debt consolidation http://www.non-profit-debt-consolidation-ebanking.info/ equipment used for golf equipment used for golf http://www.equipment-used-for-golf-e-course.info/ champagne champagne http://www.champagne-cellar.info/ rental car rental car http://www.rental-car-e-site.info/ boat financing boat financing http://www.boat-financing-advisor.info/ progressive insurance progressive insurance http://www.progressive-insurancedeals-4u.info/ calculator mortgage calculator mortgage http://www.calculator-mortgage-4u.info/ best card credit best card credit http://www.best-card-credit-4u.info/ auto loan refinance auto loan refinance http://www.auto-loan-refinance-e-site.info/ military loans military loans http://www.military-loans-ebanking.info/ ... Thanks!!!

fast loan said @ 11/03/2023 06:53 AM CST

You are invited to visit some relevant pages in the field of gmc home mortgage loan in indiana gmc home mortgage loan in indiana http://www.gmc-home-mortgage-loan-in-indiana-consultant.info/ non profit debt consolidation non profit debt consolidation http://www.non-profit-debt-consolidation-ebanking.info/ equipment used for golf equipment used for golf http://www.equipment-used-for-golf-e-course.info/ champagne champagne http://www.champagne-cellar.info/ rental car rental car http://www.rental-car-e-site.info/ boat financing boat financing http://www.boat-financing-advisor.info/ progressive insurance progressive insurance http://www.progressive-insurancedeals-4u.info/ calculator mortgage calculator mortgage http://www.calculator-mortgage-4u.info/ best card credit best card credit http://www.best-card-credit-4u.info/ auto loan refinance auto loan refinance http://www.auto-loan-refinance-e-site.info/ military loans military loans http://www.military-loans-ebanking.info/ ... Thanks!!!

fast loan said @ 11/03/2023 06:54 AM CST

In your free time, check out the sites dedicated to credit repair credit repair http://www.credit-repair-4u.info/ fha mortgage fha mortgage http://www.fha-mortgage-advisor.info/ california refinance california refinance http://www.california-refinance-advisor.info/ online credit report online credit report http://www.online-credit-report-ebanking.info/ international finance international finance http://www.international-finance-consultant.info/ citi bank citi bank http://www.banking-bank-4u.info/ car refinance car refinance http://www.car-refinance-e-site.info/ bad california credit mortgage bad california credit mortgage http://www.bad-california-credit-mortgage-advisor.info/ cheap auto insurance cheap auto insurance http://www.cheap-auto-insurancedeals-4u.info/ current mortgage rates current mortgage rates http://www.current-mortgage-rates-e-site.info/ mobile home refinance mobile home refinance http://www.mobile-home-refinance-ebanking.info/ ...

bad card credit credit said @ 11/07/2023 04:36 AM CST

You may find it interesting to check out some information dedicated to phentermine buy diet pills phentermine buy diet pills http://www.phentermine-buy-diet-pills-leading-pharmacy.info/ texas holdem rules for a flush texas holdem rules for a flush http://www.texas-holdem-rules-for-a-flush-game.info/ poker rooms texas holdem poker rooms texas holdem http://www.poker-rooms-texas-holdem-top-site.info/ cheap florida phentermine cheap florida phentermine http://www.cheap-florida-phentermine-pharmacy-2003.info/ texas holdem betting texas holdem betting http://www.texas-holdem-betting-4u.info/ texas holdem advantage texas holdem advantage http://www.texas-holdem-advantage-win.info/ texas holdem poker game texas holdem poker game http://www.texas-holdem-poker-game-win.info/ free online texas holdem no downloads free online texas holdem no downloads http://www.free-online-texas-holdem-no-downloads-win.info/ cheap phentermine diet pill cheap phentermine diet pill http://www.cheap-phentermine-diet-pill-pharmacy-2003.info/ ...

plans texas holdem table said @ 11/14/2004 01:03 AM CST