A Response to Cliff Kincaid’s “Potheads and Mental Illness”
Cliff Kincaid’s fine article regarding the links between marijuana use and mental disorders (Potheads and Mental Illness) makes a number of valid points. If I may, I’d like to take it a step or two further by drawing on my own experiences. Yes friends, I’m a former pot smoker.
The biggest problem with marijuana, in my own humble opinion, is that many young people "graduate" from pot to more harmful drugs. I was an active pot user from my early teens to my mid-30's. All total about 20 years of rolling my own. Guess what? I'm neither a schizoid nor have I ever gone out and murdered anyone. I graduated high school near the top of my class and make a comfortable living. But… I never went beyond marijuana. I’m one of the lucky ones.
My pothead days (daze?) were back in the 70's and early 80’s. My “connection” grew his own weed on his property several miles outside town. My buddies and I spent many Saturday nights filling a room with pungent smoke and loud music. It was a lot of fun and we all survived. But that was two decades ago. Nowadays pot and other drugs are far more potent due to legitimate science being applied to illegitimate uses. A drug dealer is no longer just some guy with a pound of pot in the trunk of his car. The drugs and the people who sell them are much more deadly than in years past and the damage, both to individuals and to society as a whole, cannot be ignored.
We’ve tried locking dealers away in prison. We’ve spent untold billions of dollars on various rehabilitation programs and preventative measures. But the dealers are still working the streets. They still push their poison and murder those who interfere with their trade. I think it’s time America responded in kind. It’s time to require that multiple-offense drug dealers face the death penalty. Would this serve to alleviate the problem? I believe it would.
Law enforcement catches drug dealers almost daily. The problem is that they end up back on the street and most return to dealing in short order. The death penalty solves that problem. I don’t care if the reduction in the number of drug dealers results from the death penalty being a deterrent or if it’s accomplished via killing them one at a time as they’re caught. As long as it results in fewer drug dealers, I’m happy.
Should marijuana be included under this rather unpleasant umbrella? Regrettably, yes. Not so much because of the limited health risks of the drug itself but because of the fact that it has become an integral part of the dangerous illegal drug subculture. Pot lacks the “instant addiction” dangers of meth, heroin and other hard drugs, and I’m still a supporter of medicinal marijuana because its beneficial properties cannot be denied. But I believe that the line should be drawn at that point. The potency of “modern” marijuana coupled with the negative effects it has on our children make it illogical to assume that legalizing it will solve any problems.
Our young people are being destroyed so drug lords can drive fine cars and live in expensive neighborhoods. Innocent people are killed by drug-related gang violence. Go ahead and try to convince me that the subhuman filth who manufacture and distribute this poison do not deserve to die. We’ve tried everything else and it hasn’t worked to any appreciable degree. It’s time to take the next step.
"...You know I've seen a lot of people walkin' around with tombstones in their eyes. But the pusher don't care if you live or if you die..."
From "The Pusher" (Hoyt Axton / Steppenwolf)
Related Reading:
Cliff Kincaid’s Article: http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/11788.html
Alan Burkhart is a freelance political writer, cross-country trucker, and proud citizen of the reddest of the Red States - Mississippi. You can reach him via e-mail at: alan@alanburkhart.com or by visiting his website: www.alanburkhart.com.
