Columnist speaks out for silent majority
It’s taken me awhile to write this letter but I can tell you that as soon as I read columnist Faye Arcand’s piece (Penticton Western News, Oct. 20, Auntie Says: Don’t bring your dope to my house) I knew I had to clip it out and one day respond.
Thank you, Faye, for speaking up and representing the silent majority.
Don’t bring your dope to my house was an intelligent mix of an intuitive understanding of the compelling nature of the product marijuana and the potential this soon-to-be legal product’s use could unwittingly have on today’s society, especially youth.
Thank-you, Faye, for having the guts to question off-handedness, ignorance and rudeness. You nailed it. Thank you, for being one of the many young people who do respect the rights of others; who do respect how theirs and their children’s actions can affect other adults, teens, children and the elderly. And, especially, thank you, for putting this issue into perspective. You are a credit to your generation.
It’s going to be a challenge for our own local government, MLA, MP and especially the local RCMP to all navigate a federal law that by edict will proclaim a one-size-fits-all piece of legislation that will make pot essentially legal but at the same time creating a potential legal and financial mess for us all to sort out.
Our premier laughs it off. He said all’s perfect in B.C. and that in B.C. the legal and illegal pot system is already in place — this said while grinning from ear to ear on last Voice of B.C. He too, was quite arrogant in his own smiley way. He did, I’ll admit, have an almost sober moment though when he recognized challenges ahead to keep it out of the hands of children. We all have a stake in this. His mind’s made up. Let’s hope that saner heads will prevail when the smoke clears and that all citizens are treated with respect rather than disdain during the process.
At the federal level, politicians belittling each other in the House (and therefore throughout the world via social media) does not display leadership. It does, however, indicate that persons at the highest level could take a little lesson from Faye. And it’s important for an ‘old fuddy-duddy’ like myself to recognize and commend this smart young lady and others like her who are our real community leaders.
It’s my expert evidence-based belief (today’s latest buzz words) that where there are drugs there will always be gangs. When all is said and done, it doesn’t matter which drug, what booze, or how badly addicted to gambling we can be, it’s always about the money — and money talks.
All of the above are ‘crutches,’ once addiction kicks in. Psych 101 will never change, believe me. The sad reality is that now communities like ours rely on them to fund our services.
Jean Mitchell
Penticton