Pubdate: Fri, 03 Jan 2014
Source: Coast Reporter (CN BC)
Copyright: 2014 George Kosinski
Contact:  http://www.coastreporter.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/580
Author: George Kosinski

PROPAGANDA IN THE MAILBOX

Editor:

John Weston's latest propaganda rag appearing in my mailbox (at our
expense!) wants to know what I think, but the space allotted for
comments is woefully inadequate - barely room for 30 words, much less
300. Hopefully he'll find out what I think by reading this newspaper.

His latest flagship, National Prescription Drop-Off Day, insults the
intelligence of Canadians by suggesting that so many adults are
incapable of taking proper care of their drugs that their ineptitude
requires government intervention. And a National Homeopathic Medicine
Day might, perhaps, offer a more sensible solution to whatever
problems actually exist in this regard.

The notion that his 2009 Bill C-475 "clamps down" on the manufacture
of crystal meth is of course ludicrous, since the major manufacturers
aren't buying their supplies from their local drug stores.

In the meantime, Weston has said less than nothing - as far as I know
- - about teenage homelessness, the major precursor to crystal meth
addiction. And while he's busy wringing his hands over careless
prescription drug users and the "evil drug" crystal meth, he blithely
ignores a much bigger problem - the massive increase in the
prescription of Ritalin and other drugs for children diagnosed with
attention deficit disorder.

According to Gabor Mate, "the increased use of Ritalin has paralleled
reductions in the number of special education teachers, psychologists
and social workers in the educational system - results of the cutbacks
in funding that throughout North America are considered to be among
the duties of 'responsible governments.'"

So much for Weston's Recovery Day for a Drug-Free Canada, a slap in
the face of every parent bemoaning the loss or reduction of those
critical services.

Will Weston ever abandon his pointless bills, proclamations and
national days in favour of effective policies? Your guess is as good
as mine.

George Kosinski, Gibsons 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D