This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In a synthesized, religious culture like Utah's, I find it surprising and even honorable to hear The Tribune touting such a "liberal" cause as medical marijuana ("Time for Utah to rethink medicinal cannabis," Our View, Nov. 11). It's like watching a modern-day story of David and Goliath, except now the roles have been switched, and David is our secular superhero, while Goliath is a stupefied, religious giant who can only obey his elders.
Legalizing medical marijuana must be another liberal ploy, Utah conservatives must be thinking, to destroy America and bring in the antichrist and apocalypse. "Another sign of the times," as they have been indoctrinated to believe. What repression this culture encourages. No wonder so many of the returned missionaries I know smoke pot, then attend church every Sunday to repent for their sins and hope for salvation — oh, the irony of it all.
Before we can legalize the medical use of cannabis, we must first eradicate these aspects of our culture so that children and adults alike can receive the medicine they need to relieve their illnesses. Here is a question everyone can answer: Is a drug created in a lab by Big Pharma better than one that grows naturally from the ground? David will win.
Nathan Shapiro
Heber City