THE EDITOR, Sir:

It is stunningly ironic that Pentecostal minister A. Glen Brady "urged his flock, in their wisdom, to not support the recommendations or any moves to decriminalise marijuana usage". Pray tell, dear minister of God, what wisdom is there in prohibition, criminal interdiction and the folly of America's narco-imperialism, a.k.a. the war on drugs? Please, with all due respect, educate yourself what has been going on.

There is an abundance of sources of information and wisdom concerning Drug Reform Policy issues available today, thanks to the hard work and dedication of countless volunteers and reformers worldwide. I offer a starting place, the Media Awareness Project, MAP, as an invaluable tool, a sheer reservoir and abundance of knowledge, wisdom and understanding in these pertinent matters. World Wide Web access: www.mapinc.org, P.O. Box 651, Porterville, CA 93258, (800) 266-5759.

The National Ganja Commission's recommendations for the Government to decriminalise ganja is precisely wise, if not expedient and just. Jamaica has a real opportunity to forge its own path, independent of the shameful abuses of economic and political power the United States imposes through its narco-imperialistic designs. I urge Jamaicans to follow the lead of Canada and Europe and other nations, to reform their repressive, cruel and unjust anti-ganja laws. It is not ganja that harms society. It is the bad laws of prohibition that are so corrupting and destructive.

Didn't Christ have something to say about that sort of thing? When the punishment is worse than the so-called crime, something is terribly wrong, if not plainly wicked! We must act in peace, to restore peace. Ganja is a gift from the Creator. And we owe it our uttermost respect to treat it as such. As dear Brother James wrote many centuries ago, in the Holy Scripture, James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

This certainly includes the sacred plant of ganja and its many healing gifts.

I am, etc.,

DAVID D'APOLLONIA

E-mail: dap@canada.com

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia,

Canada

Via Go-Jamaica

Which is Worse? Use Wisdom

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I have just read in The Gleaner that a Pentecostal minister, Glenn Brady, "urged Christians, in their wisdom not to support the recommendations or any moves to decriminalise marijuana usage."

I am a Christian and I say to Christians, "Use your wisdom to discern false teaching. Who will stand before God and say, "I used the herb marijuana." and who will stand before Him and say "I persecuted and imprisoned my fellowman because he used the herb marijuana." Which is worse?" You know, if you know Christ!

I am, etc.,

AMANDA JONES

E-mail: dandc@1starnet.com

Texas

Last Thursday, your National Ganja Commission recommended that Jamaican cannabis prohibition be amended to allow for medical and religious purposes, as well as limited personal use. In your paper, you quoted a supposed Christian man as saying that ending the persecution of cannabis users is against the Scriptures. You said the United States would not
approve of such a move.

Nonsense. The very idea that Jesus would approve of the imprisonment and persecution of those who use cannabis is tantamount to sacrilege. A real Christian does not seek to persecute anyone.

As for the United States opinion in the matter of cannabis prohibition, I urge the people of Jamaica to act as a sovereign nation and make a decision that will truly respect the culture and heritage of Jamaica. Cannabis
prohibition may be the official policy of the United States Government, but the people of the United States are finally beginning to acknowledge that the war on drugs has made things worse in our country, and around the world.

Do not listen to false prophets or idle threats in this matter. Lift the scourge of prohibition from the cannabis plant. If God gave us cannabis, how can any man take it away?

During the 1980s, the IMF began protecting private banks and individuals from bad investments in developing countries. At the same time, it imposed "structural adjustment programs" (SAPs) on borrower nations. These austerity programs target the poor, cutting government spending on education and health care, reducing wages and subsidies, privatizing public assets, and causing huge dislocations in production and employment.

So... his objection is not with private people using it for their own purposes, but with the plan to continue keeping it in the black market? This isn't exactly the most extreme prohibitionist argument it might seem at first glance, is it?

Outlawing Kava Kava would be like outlawing chamolile tea,or ginseng.

Paul Chang in Jamaica here

Please send your comments of support for the Jamaica's National Commission on Ganja to the Jamaican newspspers as well ...

the Jamaica Daily Gleaner http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/feedback.html OR
webadmn@jamaica-gleaner.com

I am a Christian and I say to Christians, "Use your wisdom to discern false
teaching. Who will stand before God and say, "I used the herb marijuana."
and who will stand before Him and say "I persecuted and imprisoned my fellow
man because he used the herb marijuana." Which is worse?"

You know, if you know Christ!

Now, I'm no bible scholar, but I seem to recall that the book of Genesis is pretty clear about what people can do with plants.

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food." (Genesis 1:29, NIV)

Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. (Genesis 9:3, NIV)

So there's two places that God says you can use every seed-bearing plant as food. Where's the part that says "except cannabis sativa"? How is decriminalizing cannabis "not according to the scripture"?

A tiny piece of mind:
When I was in 9th grade, I had never tried Pot in my life. It wasn't that i figured it was too dangerous. I just wanted to try other stuff in life, like being scholarly and all of that goodie shit. Maybe even be a sport and play on the schools' team.
I should've Said NO to the Football/Baseball practice!!!
And I feel like a total ass for not going to class all baked and what-not!!!

Any rate, I did try out for the team, and kinda made it. Only, when time came around to practice, I got hit by someone beefier than me ((I'm 6'3" so i figured i might be a nice addition to the team, f@#CK..I was WRONG))
and I started to cry! Because HEY!!! Pothead or not, I'm still a human! And it HURT!!!
Coach just replies, "I didn't feel a thing!!!"

It's sick to Re-Hash this story, for sake of proving the point that the same was probably said to the two Texas high-schoolers who were Just found dead on a field that a team practices upon....
...creeepy....eeeewww.
I kinda figured from that point that Toughness isn't my game and maybe something a little more subtle, like homosexuality and pot.
Diffrent folks with diff'rent strokes, that's all.

There was a case in Utah of "driving under the influence" presumably due to sedation from too high a dose.

Standardized extracts are available (especially Germany) and head-to-head tests show kava to be as effective in treating anxiety as benzodiazepines ("Valium"), but with better maintenance of alertness.

Some people find it just the thing for test anxiety or interviews.

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1524/a01.html?999

Neither work. Death was prescribed for hashish users in 12th century Egypt, and 100 yeasrs later, it was still there. You think that the tyrants would learn by now.

Personally, I think the chief should mellow out and appreciate his fellow man in peace by drinking an indigenous Fijian herbal preparation, kava kava.

Interestingly, outside missionaries in the South Pacific thought that to be evil, and sermonized against it, prohibited its cultivation, etc. What do you suppose happened? That's right, the incidence of alcoholism skyrocketed. Now that's progress.