Pubdate: Sun, 18 Jul 2010
Source: Sun, The (Yuma, AZ)
Copyright: 2010 Robert L. de Beauchamp
Contact: http://yumasun.com/opinion/sendletter.php
Website: http://www.yumasun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1258
Author: Robert L. de Beauchamp

DON'T NEED MORE BEHAVIORAL LAWS

Depriving patients of medical marijuana can do some patients
harm.

I have never used a recreational drug in my life and feel sorry for
those who do. However, as long as users do no harm to others, it
should not be the business of anyone to pass laws criminalizing its
use.

Unfortunately, too many people have the desire to control other
people's behavior which they conceive to be harmful or immoral. Most
of us have enough to do to see that our own behavior is proper and
moral and a model for others without judging other people.

We already have a plethora of laws on the books which punish public
immorality or behavior which is harmful or dangerous to others.

Certainly, most everyone has at one time or another loaded our body
with alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, too much sugar and highly refined
carbohydrates, and a gluttonous amount of food in excess of our needs.

Surely we do not need laws which give big brother government the power
to regulate everything we put in our bodies.

The fact that it has been medically documented that some people -
particularly cancer patients and others who have pain, nausea and
appetite suppression - have benefited from marijuana use is beside the
point.

It is not the proper role for government to determine what we put in
our bodies of our own free will. Educating people as to the harmful
effects on us of the things that we place in our bodies is the only
effective way to change such behavior.

Freedom from an overpowering government into every phase of our lives
is what our Constitution was designed to give us. If we don't hold the
line against unjust and intrusive laws, our children will have less
and less freedom.

Robert L. de Beauchamp

Yuma
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake