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| Author Criticizes Marijuana Policy |
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Posted by CN Staff on October 10, 2005 at 06:09:09 PT By Julia Osellame, Princetonian Contributor Source: Daily Princetonian 
New Jersey -- Ricardo Cortes, author of a controversial children's book about marijuana, led a discussion at Terrace Club Friday night on the importance of balanced drug education, in an event hosted by Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP).The book, "It's Just a Plant," has attracted widespread attention over its blunt portrayal of marijuana use. The New York Post called is a "pothead parent's dream come true" and Entertainment Weekly labeled it "outrage of the week." It was even denounced on the floor of the House of Representatives, when Indiana Republican Mark Souder said it taught children "how to smoke pot." Though Cortes claims not to advocate the use of marijuana by children, he argues that pot is an appropriate experience for responsible adults and that the drug war is a failure. "We believe there is a way to safely educate children about drugs by satisfying their curiosity but without piquing their curiosity to try them," he wrote on his website, www.itsjustaplant.com. The 48-page book begins when the main character, Jackie, "smelled something funny in the air" and found her parents smoking a marijuana joint. The next morning, Jackie and her mother discuss the use of the illegal drug over a bike ride, and meet various users and cultivators. Although the book is not strictly realistic, Cortes said he hopes families will have similarly open discussion about marijuana, whether or not the parents have tried pot. While doing research for his book, Cortes said he was shocked by how many parents were afraid to talk to their kids about drug abuse. Open discussion about drug use won't necessarily encourage kids to engage in it, he argued. Both Cortes and the SSDP, which was founded last spring by Reona Kumagai '06, advocate a "more sensible" education policy with well-informed parents as influential role models. Cortes believes that parents can use "It's Just a Plant" to jumpstart discussion about drugs and deter illegal usage by offering factual information. In contrast, the government's prosecution of marijuana users has been a flop, Cortes and SSDP members said. Rather then reducing the number of addicted children, they argued, the war on drugs breaks up families and prevents legitimate medical uses of marijuana. Kumagai said the SSDP does not condone or condemn drug use. The club was started to promote sensible drug policies that are neither racist nor overly harsh. "I think people shouldn't get arrested for doing drugs," Kumagai said. "The punishment for the crime shouldn't punish people more than the addiction would. Drug abuse is bad, but drug use isn't necessarily a bad thing." After writing the book, Cortes said he could not find a publisher, and decided to publish it on his own. Of the three thousand copies he printed, only one hundred have not been sold. He said he reordered more for next year, with changes to the illustrations and some of the text. Source: Daily Princetonian (NJ Edu) Related Articles & Web Sites: It's Just a Plant All We Need is a Mascot It's Just a Book - Village Voice Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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Comment #6 posted by Richard Zuckerman on October 10, 2005 at 09:14:45 PT:
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| I have written many letters to different Boards of Education, PTA, and legislators, asking to improve the curriculum of schools in order for the students to learn the dark side of government. Not too long after my most recent letter writing campaign, a Bill was introduced in Congress which would have required Civics teachers to attend federally sponsored classes which would have required them to teach gun control [and probably about the "evil weed"]. The Metuchen Police Department even appeared at the Metuchen Education building and ordered me NEVER TO ENTER THE SCHOOL OR EDUCATION GROUNDS EVER AGAIN OR I WOULD BE ARRESTED, even though I had not threatened anybody or visited there often and I am not a child molestor, at the behest of the Mrs. Sinatra, The Superintendent of Schools, for Metuchen, New Jersey, www.metuchen.com. I have carefully considered filing a lawsuit against them to allow me to visit the Metuchen Board of Education PUBLIC COMMENTS session, but www.aclu-nj.org will not assist me [even though I am a member of ACLU for N.J.] and I am bogged down with other problems, one of which is a motion for direct certification pending in the New Jersey Supreme Court, personally hand-delivered on Friday, September 30, 2005, Docket number 58604, Sandy Sanford, N.J. Supreme Court Case Manager, (telephone number)(609) 984-3079, asking New Jersey's Highest Court TO ESTABLISH A CAUSE OF ACTION FOR RETALIATORY PROSECUTION WHEN A POLICE OFFICER VIOLATES THE NEW JERSEY CONSTITUTION [Federal courts have already estabished such a cause of action under the U.S. Constitution! Why not the States, especially in New Jersey and New York, whose Courts claim their respective State Constitutional freedom of speech is MORE PROTECTIVE than the U.S. Constitution???!!!]. I implore every Parent and Student to PLEASE visit, carefully scroll thru, and contact, www.johntaylorgatto.com about government schooling? Whenever you see Congress trying to impose their MORALITY upon us, think of the crimes committed by the UNconvicted felons of the C.I.A. and F.B.I.? See, e.g.: www.expertwitnessradio.org; www.takingaim.info; www.copvcia.com. By the way, people, according to the recent Petrocollapse Conference, www.petrocollapse.org, we may undergo a serious fossil fuel shortage within the next six months, requiring alternative sources of energy to be used. The Cannabis plant has been reported to be a viable alternative source of fuel for our automobile. See, e.g.: www.HempCar.org; www.JackHerer.com [click on "The Emperor Wears No Clothes" and read his book on-line?]; www.sumeria.net/politics/shadv3.html. Unfortunately, no PEAK OIL ADVISORY has been issued by "our" lawmakers or the major media, and we might be in SERIOUS trouble, soon! One of the postings on www.copvcia.com, from the other day, reports that more fossil fuel is being diverted to China and Europe and we may "be watching the caravan passing by." Richard Paul Zuckerman, Box 159, Metuchen, N.J., 08840-0159, richardzuckerman2002@yahoo.com. B.A. in Political Science, Kean College of New Jersey [Kean University], Union, New Jersey, 1987; Diploma in Paralegal, New York University, 2004; Member of: www.aclu-nj.org [but NOT their open-border immigration policy!!!]; www.jpfo.org; www.nra.org; www.norml.org; www.cannabisculture.com; www.hightimes.com; www.greenparty.org; www.njlp.org. Subscriber to: The Free Press (Kerrville, Texas); Law Enforcement News (John Jay College of Criminal Justice). [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #5 posted by Richard Zuckerman on October 10, 2005 at 09:14:36 PT:
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| I have written many letters to different Boards of Education, PTA, and legislators, asking to improve the curriculum of schools in order for the students to learn the dark side of government. Not too long after my most recent letter writing campaign, a Bill was introduced in Congress which would have required Civics teachers to attend federally sponsored classes which would have required them to teach gun control [and probably about the "evil weed"]. The Metuchen Police Department even appeared at the Metuchen Education building and ordered me NEVER TO ENTER THE SCHOOL OR EDUCATION GROUNDS EVER AGAIN OR I WOULD BE ARRESTED, even though I had not threatened anybody or visited there often and I am not a child molestor, at the behest of the Mrs. Sinatra, The Superintendent of Schools, for Metuchen, New Jersey, www.metuchen.com. I have carefully considered filing a lawsuit against them to allow me to visit the Metuchen Board of Education PUBLIC COMMENTS session, but www.aclu-nj.org will not assist me [even though I am a member of ACLU for N.J.] and I am bogged down with other problems, one of which is a motion for direct certification pending in the New Jersey Supreme Court, personally hand-delivered on Friday, September 30, 2005, Docket number 58604, Sandy Sanford, N.J. Supreme Court Case Manager, (telephone number)(609) 984-3079, asking New Jersey's Highest Court TO ESTABLISH A CAUSE OF ACTION FOR RETALIATORY PROSECUTION WHEN A POLICE OFFICER VIOLATES THE NEW JERSEY CONSTITUTION [Federal courts have already estabished such a cause of action under the U.S. Constitution! Why not the States, especially in New Jersey and New York, whose Courts claim their respective State Constitutional freedom of speech is MORE PROTECTIVE than the U.S. Constitution???!!!]. I implore every Parent and Student to PLEASE visit, carefully scroll thru, and contact, www.johntaylorgatto.com about government schooling? Whenever you see Congress trying to impose their MORALITY upon us, think of the crimes committed by the UNconvicted felons of the C.I.A. and F.B.I.? See, e.g.: www.expertwitnessradio.org; www.takingaim.info; www.copvcia.com. By the way, people, according to the recent Petrocollapse Conference, www.petrocollapse.org, we may undergo a serious fossil fuel shortage within the next six months, requiring alternative sources of energy to be used. The Cannabis plant has been reported to be a viable alternative source of fuel for our automobile. See, e.g.: www.HempCar.org; www.JackHerer.com [click on "The Emperor Wears No Clothes" and read his book on-line?]; www.sumeria.net/politics/shadv3.html. Unfortunately, no PEAK OIL ADVISORY has been issued by "our" lawmakers or the major media, and we might be in SERIOUS trouble, soon! One of the postings on www.copvcia.com, from the other day, reports that more fossil fuel is being diverted to China and Europe and we may "be watching the caravan passing by." Richard Paul Zuckerman, Box 159, Metuchen, N.J., 08840-0159, richardzuckerman2002@yahoo.com. B.A. in Political Science, Kean College of New Jersey [Kean University], Union, New Jersey, 1987; Diploma in Paralegal, New York University, 2004; Member of: www.aclu-nj.org [but NOT their open-border immigration policy!!!]; www.jpfo.org; www.nra.org; www.norml.org; www.cannabisculture.com; www.hightimes.com; www.greenparty.org; www.njlp.org. Subscriber to: The Free Press (Kerrville, Texas); Law Enforcement News (John Jay College of Criminal Justice). [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #4 posted by FoM on October 10, 2005 at 08:53:59 PT |
| If you have enjoyed Weeds they have a thread that you can post on so that maybe it will be renewed. I love Weeds. I'm listening to the songs from Weeds right now. Some of the songs are really good. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #3 posted by FoM on October 10, 2005 at 08:36:14 PT |
| http://www.sho.com/site/weeds/home.do http://www.sho.com/site/weeds/music.do [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by unkat27 on October 10, 2005 at 08:06:39 PT |
| "The New York Post called it a "pothead parent's dream come true" and Entertainment Weekly labeled it "outrage of the week." Gad, what a bunch of Reaganites! I'll lay odds that these morons didn't even bother reading the book. Obviously, there aren't any really intelligent and objective people left in the mainstream media. They've all had their lives destroyed by the DEA. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by OverwhelmSam on October 10, 2005 at 07:19:45 PT |
| Do politicians and law enforcement care more about cracking the whip on Society's back, or do the care more about the children? Extremely fanatical drug policy is depressing our teenagers and causing them to turn to marijuana for relief. Legalize and regulate marijuana for adult use, and teen use subsides. [ Post Comment ] |
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