Pot-smoking Mountie brought trouble on himself
RCMP Cpl. Ron Francis ignited a small firestorm, or perhaps a billow of smoke and a case of the munchies, when he lit up a joint in full-dress reds, publicly, then claimed doing so was his right and that the Mountie brass were being cruel and unfair in crying “halt.”
Cue the weeping violins as the good corporal, who was prescribed the weed for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, turns in his red serge dress uniform, the rest of his work duds having already been cruelly seized.
But here’s what I wonder, considering the publicly known facts of this case: Can he be serious? Is this a joke? Is it performance art? And must this man weep quite so piteously over a situation he very clearly brought on himself?
It is of course a given in Canada today that smoking pot is no big thing; that just about every adult has smoked weed at one time or another, myself included; that many smoke it regularly for entertainment or relaxation; that its medicinal use is no longer a question of serious dispute, having been established by medical researchers, among them the Israeli pioneer professor Raphael Mechoulam.
Not only has marijuana been proven helpful in alleviating chronic pain; it’s been found to offset nausea linked with cancer, MS, fibromyalgia, Colitis and HIV. It’s been used to treat Glaucoma, severe depression and, yes, post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. That’s the ailment from which Francis suffers, he says, and for which medical marijuana, up to three grams daily, was prescribed him.
PTSD and its less severe form, critical stress injury, are serious problems. Hyper-awareness, volatility, anger, nightmares, insomnia, inability to connect emotionally with others, fear of intimacy, and self-medication leading to substance abuse, are among the common symptoms. Literature on the subject, including a 2009 study by Dr. Irit Akirav at the University of Haifa, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, indicates that marijuana works directly on the brain’s stress and memory centres — in effect allowing the user to dull the link between traumatic memories and stress.
If PTSD is indeed Francis’ affliction, and the weed helps him cope, than by all means let him take his medicine — discreetly, in a way doesn’t expose others to secondhand smoke, and with the understanding that any impairment should result in his being sent home, as with any other medication.
In other words: None of the foregoing comes close to bolstering the ludicrous claim that a police officer should be able to smoke pot in public, wearing the RCMP’s trademark red serge dress uniform. That this case even got as far as it did — apparently Francis had previously been allowed to smoke medicinal pot while assigned to administrative duties, not carrying a weapon or driving a vehicle — beggars belief. What about the rights of the people he works among, and for? Or do they not have rights?
Since last Thursday when this story broke, I’ve received quite a few tweets from people sympathetic to Francis, arguing that smoking marijuana, as opposed to ingesting it, confers much speedier effects, and is therefore the only practical delivery system. To which I say: Not good enough. There are puffers and inhalers, that would allow Francis to take his meds without disturbing anyone.
Ah, but these are costly! Again, so sorry, but that’s not an adequate excuse. Mounties are decently well paid, last time I checked. Surely between the force, the individual and his union they could manage this cost? Moreover, though only dried marijuana is legal for use medicinally, there are myriad ways of skirting that, so that the drug can be ingested moderately, without drawing undue attention.
But avoiding drawing undue attention, clearly, was not among Francis’ considerations. Instead he allowed himself to be photographed and videotaped, puffing away on a big fatty, in full dress reds. Can he or any reasonable person honestly be surprised at what ensued?
Chill out, goes the argument; it’s 2013, and marijuana has been stigmatized for far too long. It does far less social harm than alcohol or tobacco; it should be legal. To which one can respond, sure, perhaps so — with regulation and taxation, just as with alcohol. But precisely where does that intersect with the question of a Mountie smoking pot in public, while in uniform? Assume we were talking about alcohol. Where is the outcry in favour of a 12-ounce bottle of “medicinal” hooch in the office desk drawer, as in the days of Mad Men?
The Mounties showed tolerance and understanding in this case. Indeed, they appear to have gone overboard in their tolerance. Francis deserves sympathy in dealing with his illness. That in no way gives him the right to turn his pot smoking into a political spectacle, intended to embarrass his employer.