Reply #48: All good points about herbs and how foods affect us. I agree with you about the mystical

[bertman]

experience aspect. If these religious extremists would take the time to experience some real mysticism they might open their minds to the possibilities the universe offers us all. Whoa. There I go pontificating. My apologies.

Among the many people I know who smoke pot AT LEAST half are conservatives. Republicans. I find it difficult to imagine that most of them are opposed to legalizing pot, even if they feel that it's not likely to happen. The barrier to legalization, or decriminalization, is from the top of our government--the elites who profit from the illegal element of prohibition.

Funny you should mention personal responsibility because I'm currently discussing that aspect of drug use/abuse with a friend who has a close relative who is a serial abuser of EVERYTHING--tobacco, alcohol, pot, crack. This person is constantly in and out of the hospital receiving extraordinary medical care to keep him alive. But once he's brought back from the brink by our socialized medical system for the indigent, he's right back on the street engaging in the same behavior. There are no rehabilitation options for him. The family has tried to get him to quit, but he will not. They have been called in several times because he was so close to death. It's a terrible decision for them to make to deny him care, but now they are considering it. If he would stop doing the drugs they would give him all the support he needs, but he will not cooperate.

My opinion is that someone who will not respond to counseling and who continues to abuse drugs of any type, should have no right to get endless medical care to repair the damage that he/she is doing to his/her body. In the case I described above, the individual has lived his entire adult life as someone who has done all of his business by cash so he did not have to pay taxes into the "system" that he felt was corrupt and overbearing. Now he is getting free medical care of the highest order paid for by the rest of us who work within the evil system. Aaaarggghhh.

Peace back to ya, Bertman