Well, no, not really. Life doesn't suck all the time, at least not for me. I'm happily married seven years now, both my husband and I have jobs that pay enough to enable us to live in a relatively clean, safe working-class neighborhood, and I have many friends both on and off the 'nets. And you know something, all you "drugs are evil" bozos? There are some of us who live very inconspicuous, almost conservative lives, and like a little toke now and again. There are others who live the same type of lives who like more than a little toke. It doesn't affect their job performance, it doesn't impact on their marriage, their neighbors don't shun them (especially if they're intelligent enough to indulge in the privacy of their own domeciles). In other words, they're perfectly normal human beings. As normal as you think *you* are.

But you know something? You're not normal. You're obsessed with your self-righteousness. You're as morally reprehensible as the geeks who come on the cats newsgroup and talk about drowning kittens, or the idiots who troll the fat acceptance newsgroups insisting all fat people are lazy slobs whom nobody loves (when in fact most of *those* regulars are, like most of us here, perfectly happy, normal folks), or the homophobes who are so insecure in their own sexuality that they feel the need to flame people on motss groups.

You're happy living "drug free?" Fine. Go in peace, my son and/or daughter. Sin no more. Impress your family with your so-called purity. Keep refusing to take aspirin for your headaches or anesthetic for that pesky operation. Just say no to caffeine and sugar and alcohol, all of which are much more serious substances than cannabis. Be at peace with yourself. I'm happy for you. But leave us the fuck alone.

We're not bothering you. We're not ringing your doorbells at 6 in the morning saying, "Excuse me, do you have a child at home whom I can get hooked on the evil mari-hoo-wana?" We're not shoving pamphlets and slogans in your faces. We just toke up, and enjoy it, we harm nobody (which is more than I can say, alas, for cigarette smokers, especially considering the 700-some ingredients added to brand-name tobacco and cigarette paper - many of which cause severe allergic reactions in nonsmokers) and we don't have to apologize for or feel bad about anything. Just please, go on about your business and leave us to live our lives.

Which, by the way, most of us have. Lives, that is. Richer and more fulfilling than a life filled with self-righteousness, prejudice and hatred could ever hope to be.

-- rec.drugs.cannabis