Quoting from CBC In Depth:
"In May 2002, (a long-standing special Senate Committee) presented a "discussion paper," summarizing the scientific evidence and opinion on marijuana, including:
*Marijuana is "not a gateway" to harder drugs, such as cocaine and heroin
*Fewer than 10 per cent of users become addicted
*A lot of public money is spent on law enforcement, even though public policies don't seem to discourage use of drug.
In September 2002, the committee released its final report saying, in part, that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and should be governed by the same sort of regulations."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/marijuana/marijuana_legalize.html
That right there says it all. Science has proven that the drug is less harmful than alcohol, but the fact of the matter is science can't change the stigma that seems to be attached to the drug. Ohh, it'll kill your braincells - so does sneezing, should we outlaw that? (I have no proof to back that up, but that's not the point) or ohhh it is just as bad a cigarettes - well someone can buy cigarettes from pretty much any vendor within a 20 meter radius of themselves, yet the higher ups have no problem keeping them on the shelves. Or that it will kill you eventually - so will McDonald's, should they be shut down? Force people to buy a Big Mac off the street from some dealer of the McGoodies?
It's just stupid. Our world is full of things that are killing us, that are bad for us, that are evil, awful things. It makes no sense to make some illegal and some not. Especially when certain illegal things are less harmful than the legal things. No sense I tell ya. Then again, what bullshit really does make sense now a days that rolls down Parlament Hill. As I was saying about stigmas before, the suits up on their pedestals on The Hill seem to have a big one attached to their asses when it comes to the topic of weed.
Just legalize the stuff, sell it to the masses. Make it as available as alcohol. Everyone is a winner. The government can have a little extra cash to spend on stupid things, as per usual. The users don't have to worry about a piggy busting them, using up our tax dollars to pay their salaries to basically give a pot smoker a slap on the wrist. Sick people who find comfort and relief from pain and nausea can have much easier access. And hey, they can stand in line behind someone with a bottle of rye, on their way home to pickle their liver. After all, people are free to do that.
Everyone's a winner.
...Well, except the dealers. But I mean, McDonald's is always hiring. After all, the poison they sell is legal.
4/14/08
4/10/08
Wearing Your Life on Your Sleeve....
We all have moments in life that change us. Car accidents, deaths, sickness, etc. Hell, if I was to make a T-Shirt with every bad thing that happened to me, I would have a nice stack of shirts that's for sure. The question is "Would I wear them?" Probably not all of them.
These days, it is so common to find a shirt with some rediculous saying, or word on it. I'm guilty of it, "People like you are the reason people like me need medication" is one of my favorites. Why I like it? Because A) It's funny and B) It is somewhat true.
Which leads me to the rape shirt.
The words "I was raped." displayed across the front could easily be taken as a joke. Which would be taking the idea behind the shirt in the completely wrong direction. Women and men who live with this secret inside their heads may want to take baby steps out of the "closet" so to speak. They should not be ashamed of what happened, but society and it's levels of immaturity make that sometimes impossible. Walking down the street, 10 different people could see the same shirt and take 10 different meanings away from it. 9 of which would be completely inaccurate, I'm sure.
My shirt for example, I'm sure people look at it and laugh. Don't get me wrong, that is part of what the intention is, for me anyways. But probably next to no one would guess that there is a high level of truth to the shirt. "People like you..." = large groups and social situations, "...are the reason people like me..." = An individual diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder. "...need medication" = anti-anxiety meds as well as anti-depressants. This is my way of showing that I do suffer, but I'm not ashamed of it. Nor should I be.
Now this is going off on a tangent, but it is just my way of connecting with someone who would want to wear a shirt that says "I was raped" it's kind of a non-verbal acknowledgement to society that it happened. It's true when they say it feels better to just say it rather than let it stew inside your head until it causes a complete meltdown. But it is just a risky way of saying it. There is no context, no backstory. People wouldn't know if it was a joke or not, nor how to approach the person. If I saw someone with that shirt, I would question myself whether or not they are serious. Sometimes, it's just hard to tell.
I don't know it any of this makes sense, but it's how I feel about it at 9 am in the morning. I understand the idea, I respect those brave enough to wear it, but I also acknowledge that with something as sensitive as this, the risk may be just as big as the reward, considering the world we live in and the mindsets we live amongst.
These days, it is so common to find a shirt with some rediculous saying, or word on it. I'm guilty of it, "People like you are the reason people like me need medication" is one of my favorites. Why I like it? Because A) It's funny and B) It is somewhat true.
Which leads me to the rape shirt.
The words "I was raped." displayed across the front could easily be taken as a joke. Which would be taking the idea behind the shirt in the completely wrong direction. Women and men who live with this secret inside their heads may want to take baby steps out of the "closet" so to speak. They should not be ashamed of what happened, but society and it's levels of immaturity make that sometimes impossible. Walking down the street, 10 different people could see the same shirt and take 10 different meanings away from it. 9 of which would be completely inaccurate, I'm sure.
My shirt for example, I'm sure people look at it and laugh. Don't get me wrong, that is part of what the intention is, for me anyways. But probably next to no one would guess that there is a high level of truth to the shirt. "People like you..." = large groups and social situations, "...are the reason people like me..." = An individual diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder. "...need medication" = anti-anxiety meds as well as anti-depressants. This is my way of showing that I do suffer, but I'm not ashamed of it. Nor should I be.
Now this is going off on a tangent, but it is just my way of connecting with someone who would want to wear a shirt that says "I was raped" it's kind of a non-verbal acknowledgement to society that it happened. It's true when they say it feels better to just say it rather than let it stew inside your head until it causes a complete meltdown. But it is just a risky way of saying it. There is no context, no backstory. People wouldn't know if it was a joke or not, nor how to approach the person. If I saw someone with that shirt, I would question myself whether or not they are serious. Sometimes, it's just hard to tell.
I don't know it any of this makes sense, but it's how I feel about it at 9 am in the morning. I understand the idea, I respect those brave enough to wear it, but I also acknowledge that with something as sensitive as this, the risk may be just as big as the reward, considering the world we live in and the mindsets we live amongst.
4/7/08
Audio, Soundwaves and Reverb...Oh my.
CDs, MiniDiscs, hard drives, records....when will the insanity stop? MY brain is completely fried on all things audio storage. The one device that matters most, the one that all of this is riding on is failing, crashing, it's scratched and unable to be read....That would be my brain. I close my eyes and see a pop up window saying:
"The information needing to be accessed
is corrupted and the system will shut down
in 5 seconds.
Sorry Sucker"
The End....Shutting Down now for a complete reboot.
"The information needing to be accessed
is corrupted and the system will shut down
in 5 seconds.
Sorry Sucker"
The End....Shutting Down now for a complete reboot.
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