With Friends Like These...

To avoid any misunderstandings I'll say this from the beginning:  I support the legalization of marijuana.  I don't smoke it or use it in any way but I do feel the evidence does not support the supposed "gateway drug" claim made by ex-president Tricky Dick and his philosophical followers.  I also believe we have only begun to explore the benefits of this plant and considerable research still needs to be done on its potential benefits for the sick.

Regardless, an article ran today in Albany's local paper -- the Times Union -- which illustrates the non-rational fringe element in support of legalization.

They write about Abigail Storm-Eggink and her husband, Dan Eggink, and their attempt a lobbying the New York legislature for the legalization of pot.  Silly hippies!  Don't they know they need to offer someone's kid a job if you want to get something done in New York?  I've seen them walking around town with their "Free Pot" sign in, what appears to me, to be the most ill-conceived promotion scheme ever constructed.

Well, one of them got herself arrested carrying a pot plant at the capital and this lead to the Times Union article:  Couple brings pot plant to Capitol.  Head on over and give it a read and gaze at lunacy.  Hopefully, the marijuana-legalization crowd gets as far away from these loonies as they possibly can!

First, they're on a mission "from god"!  I can't think of a bigger red flag for craziness.  As I recall, that's the same reasoning suicide bombers and the Texas Board of Education use.  I believe they mention god at least three time in the article.  Well, there you have it!  Case closed!  We shouldn't be allowed to use marijuana because of it's properties (or lack there of -- visa vis Tricky Dick); we should be allowed to smoke it up because some mythological super-being says it's OK.  Sound reasoning if I ever heard it!  Sign me up for the crazy train.

Second, Mr. Eggink seems to believe Mary Jane can cure cancer.  Say what?  That's a testable claim and, while I'm no doctor, my basic research since reading Mr. Eggink's claim, has come up empty.  I suspect these two are also in the woo-woo camp with homeopathy and new age healings.  I wonder how that jibes with their pot smoking imaginary friend in the sky?

At any rate, the marijuana legalization crowd needs to stick with the facts -- something these two don't appear to be doing.  There is a mountain of evidence out there that supports their position and it doesn't require two vagabond wackos to get attention.  Legislators don't like gimmicks or, apparently, dirty hippies as Senator Farley (who thought they were "kind of funny") pointed out in the article "I don't think they were taken seriously by anybody; I don't think their issue is taken seriously by anyone."

Photo by Alexandra Moss