In response to 'Magic Mint' (The Cullman Times, June 23, 2008) I disagree that salvia needs to be banned and made a felony offense. If, as the headline implies, legislators know little about it then it doesn't even rise to the level of acknowledgement. Ms. Soule's attempt to make it illegal and apply the same penalties currently imposed on non-violent marijuana consumers is absolutely absurd. What — we don't have enough people in Alabama jails and prisons for use of natural plants?
This seems like a coordinated campaign nationally. My guess it is coming from the DEA. It is outrageous, since salvia is a non-problem — but maybe if they prohibit it they can change that, seeing as how prohibition of other plants and their derivatives has worked so well in the past and all.
Once Ms. Soule, in collusion with our legislative clowns, make it illegal, we will see a huge jump in its use by kids. We'll see prison imposed for possession of a geranium plant, teens and college kids saddled with felony criminal records (according to Sen. Bedford they are the main consumers), lives ruined, forced treatment, drug court and all kinds of crazy stuff that we don't see now when it is legal and not widely known all because of the raging, moralistic crusade to outlaw anything that might give someone else pleasure. What will they outlaw next, spinning around in circles until you get dizzy? That also alters ones state of consciousness.
Drug prohibition doesn't work, has never worked and will never work. If it did then our prisons would not be stuffed full of non-violent drug offenders and our high schools and college campuses wouldn't be the easiest places to get drugs. This madness has to stop. If the legislature insists on going after problem plants then might I suggest kudzu, privet and poison ivy? That would be a real no brainer.
Loretta Nail
Drug policy reform advocate and was the 2006 Libertarian candidate for Governor of Alabama.
Opinion
LETTER: Why ban salvia?
- Opinion
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Teamwork leads to great achievements
By Dr. Jan Harris
TEAM – Together Everyone Achieves More. Cullman City Schools is honored to be the only school district in the nation to receive the TEAM AWARD 2011 by the Consortium of School Networking (CoSN), Washington, DC, because of our students’ increased academic achievement due to teamwork. Our mission, in Cullman City Schools (CCS), is to work together as a team to inspire students for lifelong success through character, citizenship and scholarship.
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PLAYBACK: Will Hoge’s ‘Wreckage’ puts all the pieces together
On his sixth proper studio album, southern rocker Will Hoge is fitting nicely into the groove he has carved out over the previous decade, crawling from bar to bar across the nation playing mostly sold out shows.
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PLAYBACK:The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds a great summer album
No one could make a more pleasing sound for memorable summers than The Beach Boys.
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PLAYBACK: The Wallflowers saved the best for last
Known mostly for his famous father, Jakob Dylan built his early career simultaneously riding musical coattails, and trying to escape the thousand-foot shadow cast by his father.
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Playback: Songs about ... Talking Heads
Talking Heads came to life in the shadowy rubble of New York’s CBGB, where bands such as the Ramones found a welcoming audience.
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Playback: Blind Boys of Alabama return with reassuring sound, and a few guests
There’s something basic and reassuring about old-time gospel music. That statement is especially true of songs by the Blind Boys of Alabama, winners of six Grammys, including the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Playback: Look past the drama, give Kanye a chance
Can we get much higher?” Before this year’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, the instinctive response to Kanye West’s album-opening question would had to have been “no.”
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Black Lab keep the 90s alt-rock torch burning
What year is it? 2011? Well, don’t tell California-based rock band Black Lab, because as far as they know, flannel and Doc Marten boots are still in style.
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Introducing Peace Orchestra
So here's Peace Orchestra. There's no reason why anyone here or anywhere should have heard of Peace Orchestra. There's no snob factor or co-opting of pop esoterica in that statement—Peace Orchestra was never big here, and most people who know and love it found it by accident. One album was all we got, not counting the inevitable various-artists remix homage paid to that one-shot landmark disc. An eponymous cd, the largely instrumental set is a slow, ethereal burn — one laden with too much energy and surface tension to dismiss as mere chill-out music. It rewards casual, volume-down background listening, but that isn't where Peace Orchestra shines. Put on the headphones or, well, turn it up, man.
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Buying local — ‘the best value’
By Rickey Kreps
The Cullman community is in the solid position that we are today because we charted our future based on what we could do for ourselves. Take for example the foresight to purchase land and develop the industrial parks — not with a handout but with local funds. Responsible budgeting and expenditures prevented our community from taking on long term debts that we could not pay. We’re now hearing from our legislators in both Montgomery and Washington DC that severe belt tightening is on the horizon. We’ll need to figure out ways to do more for ourselves. - More Opinion Headlines
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Teamwork leads to great achievements
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Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
