Drugs are bad. Most people will agree with that statement, although, most of these people will have no problem taking them when prescribed by a physician.

The majority of these drugs are synthetic narcotic derivatives processed in a laboratory and full of side effects ranging from constipation to kidney failure and even death.

Good news. Most of these side effects can be combated by, yes, that’s right, more drugs.

There are people who take handfuls of pills every day to cure common maladies.

As a teenager, I spent four years addicted to Darvon, a powerful narcotic that landed me in rehab.

After taking narcotics for a while, they tend not to work as well and you wind up having to take more and more to get the same effect. This is called dependency.

Dependency often turns into addiction. Addiction will eventually put you in rehab if you’re lucky. The not so lucky may end up in jail or the cemetery.

This abuse at the hands of pharmaceutical companies and the American Medical Association must stop.

Unfortunately, as long as the money keeps rolling in, it most likely won’t.

We live in a capitalist society that judges people by what clothes they wear, cars they drive and on and on.

Doctors are not saints. They are businessmen whose livelihoods depend on keeping patients coming back for more.

This is why a large amount of doctors wear Armani suits and drive European cars.

Most of my clothes come from Goodwill, and I have never driven a car. My drugs now come from the ground instead of a laboratory.

Marijuana has the unfortunate distinction of being labeled a street drug. I suppose that is a valid description, since up until recently, the street was the only place we could purchase it.

Several states, mostly on the West Coast have wised up to the holistic and health benefits of every hippie’s favorite plant.

The federal government now also recognizes the benefits of THC (tetrahydrocanibinal).

The active ingredient in marijuana known to provide relief from a myriad of conditions from glaucoma to stress.

However, the feds would rather us take a synthetic version called Marinol.

Why would they prefer us to take a synthetic version rather than the natural product?

Well, Marinol costs twice as much per daily dose, according to several sources, including the Texas Marijuana Policy Project.

This price is a boom to the pharmaceutical companies, which the federal government taxes, so everybody wins, right?

Well, everybody but the patients for whom the feds will gladly prosecute for defiance of this mockery of justice.

According to High Times magazine’s April 2005 issue, Diana Monson suffers from Lumbosacral disease, which causes back spasms and spinal pain.

At her doctor’s suggestion and believing she was covered under California’s Proposition 215, she began growing marijuana in her backyard.

Local and federal authorities raided her home and insisted on seizing her six plants, which was well within the limits of Proposition 215.

Even one of the agents turned to her and said, “I hate my job.”

Monson has teamed with Angel Raich, an Oakland resident, and is suing the federal government.

Monson made this comment: “The government considers me a criminal, but they still want my tax money in April. I don’t want my tax money being spent trying to eradicate something that helps me.”

The city of Oakland has passed Measure Z, which will make marijuana the lowest priority for law enforcement.

You are more likely to get a jaywalking ticket than you are for marijuana offenses.

One reason for this: Oakland has seen many peaceful citizens go to jail for as long as 30 years for tossing a few seeds on the ground.

David Ciglar, a former West Oakland firefighter who was credited with saving more than 100 lives, has spent the Past 10 years in prison for using marijuana to ease his back pain.

Measure Z will, once marijuana is made legal, tax and regulate the sales of cannabis.

While writing this article, I cannot help think about a family friend, Eddie “Chief” Anaru.

He relieved cancer pain by smoking marijuana cigarettes that were obtained illegally and which he dipped in liquid morphine obtained legally through prescription. Morphine is legal while marijuana remains illegal.

What kind of a world do we live in?