After watching what has occurred in Colorado in the aftermath of marijuana legalization, some people in Canada are calling for legalization. They claim the drug is harmless and not highly addictive. They claim it is not a gateway to harder drugs. They claim that legalizing it will not cause an influx of users. They also claim it will greatly benefit society by allowing the government to collect taxes on the sale of it.
To claim marijuana is harmless is like saying smoking tobacco is harmless. We know smoking can lead to cancer including cancer in individuals who don't smoke themselves but are exposed to the smoke from other people's cigarettes. I don't know if smoking marijuana can lead to cancer like cigarettes but marijuana does alter your brain. Any substance that alters the way you perceive things or the way you think is dangerous. And how does long term marijuana use affect brain functions?
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse website (http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana), marijuana affects brain development and if used heavily by youth it can affect thinking and memory for a long time or even permanently. "But youth won't be allowed to buy it," the pro-legalization camp counters. Really? How many of you know kids who started smoking cigarettes in their teens, or drinking alcohol, or using illegal drugs? I knew of kids that did and I grew up in a sheltered small town where most youth avoided those substances. Do you really think a teen won't find a way to get marijuana? They are getting it now and it isn't even legal yet. There were children in Colorado who took marijuana from their parents or grandparents and tried to sell it at school and they weren't even teenagers yet. According to a Denver Post article from November 2013 ( http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_24501596/pot-problems-colorado-schools-increase-legalization) school officials are seeing an increase of infractions involving marijuana among students of middle and high schools. Colorado law prohibits marijuana for anyone under twenty-one. Just because the law says they can't have it doesn't mean a determined youth won't be able to get it.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse website also states that heart rates increase immediately after smoking marijuana and that smokers have an increased risk of heart attack especially if they are older or already have heart issues. Using marijuana also causes mental health issues. It can cause an increase in problems for those with certain mental illnesses like schizophrenia and long-term use can lead to psychosis. And don't even get me started on what it can do to a baby if the mom uses it while pregnant. We already have so many babies affected by alcohol and drugs while in utero do we really need to add to the problem?
Some claim that the police no longer want to enforce laws regarding possession and I understand why an officer does not want to go through the time and paperwork to arrest someone with one joint but that doesn't mean it should be legalized. I think they can come up with some kind of alternate way to deal with this kind of infraction without legalizing marijuana.
And what about the hazards imposed on others by marijuana smokers. Does secondhand marijuana smoke cause problems for those who happen to inhale it? I'm not sure but it is proven that driving while high from marijuana increases your chances of being in a collision and that can certainly have a negative impact on the other drivers on the road. The National Institute on Drug Abuse website states that marijuana mixed with alcohol increases impairment more than either substance on it's own. Can you imagine the danger posed by someone who goes to a party, has a few beers, smokes a joint or two and then decides to drive home?
In conclusion, I believe the dangers of marijuana use far outweigh any perceived benefits claimed by the pro-legalization supporters. Legalization will open up a Pandora's box that we will not be able to close again.
Tuesday 20 May 2014
Saturday 19 April 2014
What Are Your Kids Really Learning?--A Letter to Parents
Dear Parents,
This is not a letter to tell you how to be a better parent but simply an observation I've made over the past month that is worth thinking about. Some of my children are involved in dance and they love it. The oldest of these attended an out of town festival at the end of March. It was a good experience and she really enjoyed it. Some things that occurred at this festival prompted me to write this letter.
The first day of the festival my daughter's lyrical class performed. Due to the small size of the festival, there were different age and dance levels being adjudicated together. I have no problem with that as long as the adjudicator appears to be keeping that in mind when comparing the numbers. However, as my daughter and some of her friends were congratulating the other dancers, the kids from one of the other studios completely ignored them. Few things seem more rude to me than not acknowledging someone when they offer their congratulations. A smile, a nod, a simple thank you or even a reciprocation of congratulations is all it takes. You don't have to become best buddies afterwards. I don't know if this is a result of teacher instruction or some kind of competition mindset but it's a dance festival not the world championships.
The other thing I observed is that the aforementioned dance studio liked to put a whole bunch of younger dancers in with a few older star dancers and then compete in a lower age and level category while showcasing the star dancers. That's not to say their younger dancers weren't good but showcasing the great dancers all the time is not doing the other kids any good. One older boy would do a series of fouette turns or other such move while a bunch of younger girls would do simpler moves in the background. I was infinitely more impressed by a number from my daughter's studio that had five or six girls doing fouette turns at the same time and staying in sync, for the most part. The reason they could have choreography like that is because the girls were all at a similar skill level.
That is the thing that annoyed me the most, the obvious deception being perpetrated by the other studio in purposely putting their dancers together in such a way that they compete at a lower level and therefore have a better chance of "winning" against other kids who actually belong in the lower level.
I ask you parents: What are your kids really learning? When their dance studio or sports team pulls stunts like this what are the kids learning? Are they learning to do their best win or lose and to always be a good sport? Or are they learning that a little lying and deception are okay as long as you win? It's something to think about.
Sincerely,
Me
This is not a letter to tell you how to be a better parent but simply an observation I've made over the past month that is worth thinking about. Some of my children are involved in dance and they love it. The oldest of these attended an out of town festival at the end of March. It was a good experience and she really enjoyed it. Some things that occurred at this festival prompted me to write this letter.
The first day of the festival my daughter's lyrical class performed. Due to the small size of the festival, there were different age and dance levels being adjudicated together. I have no problem with that as long as the adjudicator appears to be keeping that in mind when comparing the numbers. However, as my daughter and some of her friends were congratulating the other dancers, the kids from one of the other studios completely ignored them. Few things seem more rude to me than not acknowledging someone when they offer their congratulations. A smile, a nod, a simple thank you or even a reciprocation of congratulations is all it takes. You don't have to become best buddies afterwards. I don't know if this is a result of teacher instruction or some kind of competition mindset but it's a dance festival not the world championships.
The other thing I observed is that the aforementioned dance studio liked to put a whole bunch of younger dancers in with a few older star dancers and then compete in a lower age and level category while showcasing the star dancers. That's not to say their younger dancers weren't good but showcasing the great dancers all the time is not doing the other kids any good. One older boy would do a series of fouette turns or other such move while a bunch of younger girls would do simpler moves in the background. I was infinitely more impressed by a number from my daughter's studio that had five or six girls doing fouette turns at the same time and staying in sync, for the most part. The reason they could have choreography like that is because the girls were all at a similar skill level.
That is the thing that annoyed me the most, the obvious deception being perpetrated by the other studio in purposely putting their dancers together in such a way that they compete at a lower level and therefore have a better chance of "winning" against other kids who actually belong in the lower level.
I ask you parents: What are your kids really learning? When their dance studio or sports team pulls stunts like this what are the kids learning? Are they learning to do their best win or lose and to always be a good sport? Or are they learning that a little lying and deception are okay as long as you win? It's something to think about.
Sincerely,
Me
Friday 14 March 2014
Why this is what it is and the Putin Problem.
I realized today that I haven't posted anything since before Christmas. It's not for a lack of topics, believe me. I could talk about Vladimir Putin and how I don't trust a guy who manages to stay in power by becoming Prime Minister when his term as President is up and then as soon as the next election comes along, becomes President again. Obviously the guy likes being in charge or he wouldn't stick around so long. Makes me wonder if he's going to become a dictator. He's already trying to take over parts of the Ukraine under some of the flimsiest excuses I have encountered since learning about what led up to WWII in Social Studies.
I didn't really intend for this blog to be my take on current events but if I didn't write about things like that you would just see post after post about my kids. Don't get me wrong, I think my kids are wonderful but there are enough blogs out there about the joys and hardships of motherhood. That's just not my thing. I have always been a strongly opinionated person when it comes to politics and current events. I get that from my dad. In fact, my high school Social Studies teacher commented to my mom once about how obvious it was that politics and current events were discussed in our home. So you can thank, or blame, my upbringing for this blog.
Back to Putin, like I said I don't trust the guy. He didn't even crack a smile during the closing ceremony of the Sochi Olympics, at least not on camera. How can you not smile at the Olympics? Maybe he's just not the smiling type but it just seemed weird. Then all this stuff with the Crimean Peninsula occurred and I was not surprised. Those who think Russia is not a country to be wary of are very wrong. How many times did the UN Security Council try to take action over different things only to be vetoed by Russia? I can't believe Russia disagreed for any other reason than that it didn't suit their purposes to have the proposed action take place. Maybe the United States has done the same thing too but not recently that I've heard.
So what is the rest of the world supposed to do about this development? Are we just supposed to roll-over and let Russia have the Crimean Peninsula? Sure there is going to be a referendum over it where the people living there are going to vote on the issue but can we really trust that the election will be fair and honest. How do we know the election won't be rigged in Russia's favour? And if Russia gets the Crimean Peninsula then what? Will they next decide one part of the Ukraine is not enough and take over the whole thing? Is this scenario starting to sound familiar? If not, you need to go study the events that led up to WWII starting with the appeasement policy of other countries in regards to Hitler's actions before he decided to take over Poland.
Do I think we are headed into another World War? I don't know. I really hope not but at the same time we can't just let Russia waltz in and take over its neighbours.
I didn't really intend for this blog to be my take on current events but if I didn't write about things like that you would just see post after post about my kids. Don't get me wrong, I think my kids are wonderful but there are enough blogs out there about the joys and hardships of motherhood. That's just not my thing. I have always been a strongly opinionated person when it comes to politics and current events. I get that from my dad. In fact, my high school Social Studies teacher commented to my mom once about how obvious it was that politics and current events were discussed in our home. So you can thank, or blame, my upbringing for this blog.
Back to Putin, like I said I don't trust the guy. He didn't even crack a smile during the closing ceremony of the Sochi Olympics, at least not on camera. How can you not smile at the Olympics? Maybe he's just not the smiling type but it just seemed weird. Then all this stuff with the Crimean Peninsula occurred and I was not surprised. Those who think Russia is not a country to be wary of are very wrong. How many times did the UN Security Council try to take action over different things only to be vetoed by Russia? I can't believe Russia disagreed for any other reason than that it didn't suit their purposes to have the proposed action take place. Maybe the United States has done the same thing too but not recently that I've heard.
So what is the rest of the world supposed to do about this development? Are we just supposed to roll-over and let Russia have the Crimean Peninsula? Sure there is going to be a referendum over it where the people living there are going to vote on the issue but can we really trust that the election will be fair and honest. How do we know the election won't be rigged in Russia's favour? And if Russia gets the Crimean Peninsula then what? Will they next decide one part of the Ukraine is not enough and take over the whole thing? Is this scenario starting to sound familiar? If not, you need to go study the events that led up to WWII starting with the appeasement policy of other countries in regards to Hitler's actions before he decided to take over Poland.
Do I think we are headed into another World War? I don't know. I really hope not but at the same time we can't just let Russia waltz in and take over its neighbours.
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