Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 27, 2011

GOOD FOOD & DRINK

10

Nature & The Environment

 Mountain Views News Saturday, August 27, 2011 

OOOO PAH !!!

Opinion

SMOKING MARIJUANA IS A 
SURVIVAL ISSUE

It affects your mental and physical 
survival, and the integrity of your 
society

 

Christopher Nyerges

 I was talking to a friend recently who 
told me that he was distressed about his 
children smoking marijuana. We got into a 
big discussion about life in the 60s and early 
70s, and our own marijuana use. Marijuana 
today is not the same creature as back in the 
60s. 

 

 Today it’s stronger and more potent. 
I was shocked to hear that maybe 2/3 of 
today’s high school students regularly smoke 
marijuana.

 

 We had a long talk about the many issues 
surrounding marijuana: uses of hemp, so-
called medical uses of marijuana, negative 
health effects of smoking marijuana, the 
Mexican drug cartels, etc. I have not written 
about this for a very long time, but I’ve 
wanted to because it disturbs me that people 
still think I smoke marijuana, and I don’t. 
I still maintain: If you smoke marijuana, 
you’re choosing to be an idiot.

 

 What about “medical use” of marijuana? 
What a joke! I maintain that there is maybe 
one in a thousand “medical marijuana” users 
who have a legitimate need for the drug. I 
learned that the threshold is very weak to get 
a medical marijuana card. I can get one by 
claiming to be depressed and anxious about 
life, worried about the future, and feeling 
stressed that I don’t make enough money. 
But so what? Who doesn’t feel that way? I 
deal with my anxiety and stress with very 
hot baths, exercise, and meaningful social 
activities. Not with drugs. If marijuana were 
such a great medical drug, why aren’t all the 
legitimate pharmacies carrying it? Why is it 
still restricted to the equivalent of medical 
head shops which experience a high rate of 
robberies and shootings? 

 

 I was told by a marijuana user “Alcohol is 
worse than marijuana and it’s legal!” I agree 
that alcohol is worse. Alcohol damages nearly 
every organ of the body, affects the small 
intestines’ ability to transport and absorb 
nutrients, disrupts the neural networks of 
the brain, etc. etc. etc. And so what? That’s 
not a reason to justify smoking marijuana.

 

 Then I was told about all the great things 
that can be done with hemp, like making 
cloth shopping bags and baseball hats and 
shirts. OK, so go make your bags 
and shirts. Those who bring this 
up are merely bringing it up as 
a diversion. These are nearly 
always the folks who just want 
to get high, and want another 
justification. I doubt that even 
one of these pro-hemp fabric 
folks ever grows their own hemp, 
extracts the fibre, and creates 
anything useful.

 

 I have often been reminded 
about what a great cash crop 
is marijuana. “It’s good for the 
economy.” It is sad that we have 
reduced everything to money. We 
should work towards the type 
of society that we want, and we 
should not seductively allow the 
“need for money” to dominate our thinking 
and to override all other considerations. 

 

 I smoked marijuana for about a year a 
very long time ago in a previous lifetime. I 
wanted a sense of belonging to something 
special, and I wanted to meet girls. Yes, I did 
end up belonging to the losers’ club while I 
was being very cool. I was so cool that I was 
constantly forgetful, always late, did poor in 
school, had constant coughing and breathing 
problems, and was never able to talk to girls 
when they were around. It made me anti-
social. Yes, but I was so cool!

 

 No one likes it when I bring this up, but if 
you’re a marijuana smoker, chances are that 
you are directly or indirectly supporting all 
the killing and beheading that’s going on in 
Mexico. The Americans’ lust for drugs helps 
to drive the Mexican drug cartels’ lust for 
money. Unless, of course, you grow your 
own.

 

 I suppose I worry too much, but as I have 
gotten older, I want to be in full control of 
my faculties, as much as possible. “But,” I was 
challenged, “you don’t always want to be in-
control, do you? Don’t you ever relax?”

 

 Yes, I find many ways to relax without 
drugs, and yes, I do want to be in control, all 
the time. If I am not in control, something or 
someone else is. Marijuana, like alcohol-use 
and many other addictions, makes us like 
the podded people in “Invasion of the Body 
Snatchers.”

 

 Yes, I know I am speaking for myself, but 
I feel I am already too retarded, too slow, too 
stupid. I don’t need marijuana to make me 
even more slow and stupid.

When I realized that marijuana offers only 
a false promise of “coolness,” I just quit and 
never smoked it again. I was accused by my 
friends at that time of not being cool, or 
being square, but I never let it bother me. 
So what if I’m not cool? Isn’t it better to be 
able to think and to be able to breathe? So, 
besides quitting, I also had to find a new 
social family, which I did, eventually.

 

 I lost nothing by rejecting the use of 
marijuana. The benefits of clear thinking 
and a healthy body have far outweighed 
any of the supposed “benefits” (intellectual 
or otherwise) that I might have had while 
smoking marijuana. Besides, after an hour or 
so, I quickly forgot all of my great marijuana 
insights anyway.

[Nyerges is the author of “How to Survive 
Anywhere,” “Enter the Forest,” and other 
books. He can be reached at Box 41834, Eagle 
Rock, CA 90041.]

As a little boy growing up in the 60’s, I dreamed 
one day of living in America.– I made it in the 
early 70’s and now I can vsit Greece without ever 
leaving Pasadena!! It’s the 53rd Annual Pasadena 
Greek Fest which will be held Friday-Sunday, 
September 16,17, and 18, 2011 at Santa Anita 
Park in Arcadia, California, located at 285 W. 
Huntington Drive in Arcadia, CA 91107.

Fest hours are from 5 PM to 1 AM on Friday, 
September 16, 2011; noon to 1 AM on Saturday, 
September 17, 2011; and on Sunday. September 
2011 from noon to 10 PM

The event, one of the 
oldest and largest of its kind 
in Los Angeles, costs $5 and 
children under 12 years get 
in for free. Parking is $4 per 
car at the main entrance of 
Holly and Huntington Drive 
at Santa Anita Park.

I spoke to Charlie 
Christodulelis he told 
me“This event has always has 
been a draw for residents and 
visitors seeking a culturally 
diverse and fun event with 
a myriad of activities for the 
entire family. Come visit us 
and we will wine, dine and 
spoil you the Greek way!” 
Highlights of the weekend 
will include live Greek entertainment from 
the Olympians including Miltos Kranias from 
Athens and Kostas Skrepetos from NYC , 
authentic Greek cuisine and pastries, live cooking 
demonstrations, the Olympic Taverna Sports Bar 
& Cigar Lounge, Greek folk dancing, lectures 
about Greek history and religion, including a live 
wine chat with Yiannis Sfakianakis of Pavlidis 
Winery from Drama Greece, and a Kid’s Fun 
Zone with carnival games, rides and prizes.

The Pasadena Greek Fest is an annual event 
which brings together thousands of visitors 
from the Greater Los Angeles area to a weekend 
pageantry celebrating all things Greek. Proceeds 
from the event benefit cultural, educational, 
athletic and community 
outreach programs run 
by Saint Anthony Greek 
Orthodox Church in 
Pasadena, CA. Event sponsors 
include Methodist Hospital 
and Santa Anita Park.

For ticket information or to 
obtain additional information 
regarding the event, call 
626-600-1OPA/ 626-600-
1672 or visit the official 
website of the festival at 
www.pasadenagreekfest.org.
Sounds good to me !! Please 
listen to my radio show on 
KABC Talk Radio every 
Sunday afternoon at 12 noon, 
plus tune in to Dining with 
Dills on Charter 101 at 7 PM

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills


PACK A HEALTHIER LUNCH FOR SCHOOL


(NAPSI)—With children back at school, it’s 
time to think about packing a healthy, nutritious 
lunchbox. Following the USDA’s new “MyPlate” 
guide to healthier eating, ideally, half of the 
lunchbox should be fruits and vegetables, with the 
other half split between protein and whole grains. 

Here are some tips to help pack a nutrient-
dense lunchbox from culinary and nutrition 
experts at Whole Foods Market, the natural and 
organic grocer that has launched its Health Starts 
Here™ program to help families find healthy food 
choices.

• Use fresh-sliced or dried pureed fruits instead 
of sweetened jelly—sliced apples, bananas and 
strawberries offer great nutrition and taste great 
paired with nut butters.

• Substitute avocado or hummus for mayo—
avocado offers healthy fats naturally plus provides 
a creamy spread for sandwiches. Hummus 
provides protein.

• Add lots of fresh veggies—they pack more 
nutrients per calorie. The more color, the better.

• Use almond butter instead of peanut butter—it 
adds more protein with a twist to your sandwich.

• Always use whole grain breads or tortillas—
wraps are a fun change of pace, especially when 
packed with veggies.

• Replace iceberg lettuce with dark, leafy 
greens like spinach or arugula as they pack more 
nutrients per bite.

• For crunch, add a homemade trail mix with 
dried fruits and raw nuts—a fun snack the kids 
will love.

Take a look at Whole Foods Market’s “lunchbox 
makeovers” and snacks that fuel the body and 
brain.

Nutrient-Dense Lunch Ideas:• Instead of a 
PB&J sandwich, chips, cookies and chocolate 
milk...

• Try a whole wheat tortilla wrap with almond 
or peanut butter, sliced strawberries and fruit-
sweetened jelly, carrot sticks or sugar snap peas, 
homemade trail mix, and a bottle of water.

• Instead of mac & cheese, cheese puffs, 
applesauce and soda...

• Try hummus served with veggies and whole 
wheat pita, unsweetened applesauce or in-season 
fresh-cut fruit, and almond or soy milk.

For more information and resources on healthy 
eating, visit www.wholefoodsmarket.com.


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