SHOULD WE REALLY BE LAUGHING?

Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. We did not say too much in last months issue following the astonishing raids and subsequent revelations that there were drugs in Linton. Of course there are. Mogador, Valium, Prozac, Viagra, and other pick-me-ups or put-me-downs probably permeate every medicine cabinet in town in one form or another. You might even have some in your hand right now.

Rumours rush through Linton at astounding speed (slightly slower than astonishing) and we don’t want to add to all the fuss and bother. Things can get out of hand such as the request by the Historical Society to replace its ageing power board ended up in Council as a replacement of the entire front of the building.

Merriment aside should we make light of drugs of any kind? Doesn’t laughing at drug jokes indicate that we don’t give a damn about them one way or the other. Might we think differently if we found drug paraphanalia in our childrens’ undies drawer.

Comedy acts abound with jokes about tokes, snorts, and sniffs, drunks and fights, smokers cough and hangovers, ice, speed, yarndie, snowed noses and dilated eyes but should they? Should we?

One argument says we should - if they exist then they have to be addressed. Comedy is one way that we can begin to discuss the subject. The drug is not the real problem anyway it’s what happens to some people when they take them. More abuse of women and children occur at home by drunken males than any other crime.

The other side suggests that bringing drugs out in the open condones their use of and that out-of-sight and out-of-mind is a far better option.

Lets face it we believe that both sides fail miserably. The war on drugs like the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable. You cannot win any conflict whilst abuse exists. Whatever the form it takes be it physical, political, emotional, power-seeking, sexual , religious, racial or tribal.

While corruption by those in power continues whether it be in the Europe or in Syria we will have the scourge of hard illicit drugs. We don’t have the answer yet, you can’t just say ‘NO’ and you can’t just legalise it but we can do our bit by recognizing any abuse and standing up against it.

How much an gram? Your joking of course?

(Note however that 18% of women assault their male partners and also take note of how often the word ‘Step’ is used when many of the perpetrators are described.)