Thursday, April 19, 2007

Ethical dilemma

I've stumbled across an ethical dilemma I didn't expect. The only ethical debate I can remember in gardening is wether to use pesticides or not, and most people seems to agree on "use it as seldom as possible".

But

I'm one of the few, perhaps the only one, in Sweden trying to grow vegetables indoors on a larger scale. This makes my research interesting. Mostly I pick parts from books and homepages on slightly different topics. Gardening books for small gardens have lately been my best source for facts in swedish. And since reading in the maternal tounge (eewww) provides advantages when studying facts I prefer to do so. The problem is when being the lone swedish doing a thing there isn't many homepages to find on the topic.

On the other hand I've discovered a group of swedes that do grow plants at home, plants that aren't the traditional potted plants. They grow drugs.

During my walkabouts on the swedish web pages I've stumbled across at least one forum for drug gardening, completely open and searchable by Google. Up to this day I've refused to follow up those links. I'm a teetotaller and so sensitive to stimulantia that I can react on herbal tea*. In general I'm not missioning this standpoint, though, it's completely clear to me that most people can handle booze, and in that case I think they can enjoy a drink or two. But I find it annoying listening to or reading a text where someone sports the view that drugs isn't that dangerous and it's up to the individual if she/he wants to get stoned. Especially since it's often quite clear that the person in question wont listen to anyone with other views, but rather to hammer in hers/his own.

I'm not amused, as you can see, and many drugs are illegal, both to have and to grow, so what do I do with all my hits on drug fora? These people have to be experts on growing stuff in small and dark places. Isn't it to overdo things when I experiment to get to know things others already have learned and that is possible to read about in a few minutes?

Maybe. I don't know. I've seen drugs destroying several people. I feel like this is the wrong way to get gardening knowledge.

*I'm always reading the content before I'm buying any herbal tea. There's a general view that herbs are mild and not dangerous, but it's important to remember that opium poppy and cannabis plant are herbs - they are by far not alone among herbs with a strong impact. Many 'strong' herbs can be find among our common spices.

2 comments:

Kenneth Moore said...

Hm... I'm going through something of the same dilemma, but I think there's more information now about indoor growing, at least in English, that I don't have to consider going to look at indoor drug grow-op websites for information.

Mostly, my problem is people assuming I already grow drugs. Or giving me seeds to grow for them. Or asking for such seeds so they can grow their own. Not everyone with fluorescent lights in his living room is doing something illegal. It is annoying that people think so.

Rosengeranium said...

Sure is! I think the best thing to do is to say that they'll get something better and give them peas or radish seeds - fully edible, nontoxic and grows like ****. After all, vegetables are a lot better for the body than drugs :)