Thursday, January 15, 2009
Hello fellow cadets,
I was deeply saddened after reading the article,
"A 20-year-old Ghanaian has been sentenced to death in Singapore for trafficking 2.6 kilograms (5.73 pounds) of cannabis" - http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gUuxqJiLR44eZFz5HvcZziVXlGyQ dated the 2nd of Jan 2009.
Firstly, I would like to declare that i am strictly against heavy abuse of drugs.
This post is just my 2 cents worth regarding the issue.
After browsing through a few Singapore forums regarding the article, i was not surprised to find out many of them supported the death penalty for drug trafficking. This is because i noticed that most of them feign ignorance and have stereotyped the word 'drug'. Many people just chant unanimously upon handing down the death sentence. What majority of them do not know that many of these so called "drugs" have various classifications & for your information, marijuana is termed as a herb.
However, a point that i would like to highlight now is regarding the death penalty against the 20-year old Ghanaian who was sent to the gallows for trafficking Mary Jane. For goodness sake, he died for bringing in herbs. Cannabis is usually consumed as it is, while cocaine and heroine are chemically altered before consumption.
Interestingly, my interest in cannabis grew after my love with reggae music.
Reggae musicians, or rhastafaris are a happy bunch of people. After reading various articles and viewing videos, i found out that their secret to their happy nature was due to marijuana. But hey, i am not encouraging anyone to smoke pot, but this is actually a fact in Jamaica.
What i am really unsatisfied about is that according to statistics conducted by various online sources(check for yourselves if you don't believe me) death due to marijuana is.....
Zero!..
I think that more people have died for trafficking the herb compared to smoking it. In this case, the unfortunate fellow who was only a year older than me had a premature ticket to meet his Maker. His dream was to play football in Singapore but he was not given a second chance even considering his tender age.
For me, i feel that marijuana has similar effects as alcohol. It gives you the "senget" feeling, but the reason why they do not criminalize alcohol is because it is a versatile product. From alcohol you can get wine, beer, liquor etc. Rich people need high class cuisine and luxury wine fits the bill. However when a person gets drunk, he might be influence to commit murder and is the spark to the contained hatred and also many other crimes. Nevertheless, from what i see, getting high on marijuana encourages laughter and a relaxed mind.
Jahhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Unfortunately, living in Singapore where marijuana will definitely not be decriminalized in my lifetime preventing me from giving a more concrete argument. It would be a dream come true for me to be sitting with the ministers and have my 1st taste of the herb with them.
I am not saying Singapore should abolish the death sentence, i am saying that the world is unfair.
This is a not a promotion and this post may contain flaws, however this is only my opinion regarding the matter.
Mascot.
Labels: Spider man
Signing off.. 1/15/2009 12:08:00 AM
Jahhhhhhhhhhhhh.