Letter From Brooklyn

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One Caribbean Nation.


DMX

by Michael Headley

There seems to a global push, by some government officials, organizations, media pundits and others, to advocate the decriminalization of the law, regarding possession and use of small quantities of marijuana/cannabis/pot/weed.   However, in their haste to celebrate potential users literally lighting up, they may want to avoid being later haunted by the words of the late rapper DMX, born Earl Simmons.  He died at age 50, from an apparent drug overdose, which triggered a heart attack on April 09 (New York Post, Entertainment April 09. by Chuck Arnold and Adriana Diaz). 

 

In a November 2020 interview, published by Judith Charles Lotter (Home/News/Celebrity) DMX talked about how he was tricked into using drugs, by his mentor, who had deceptively slipped him a 'blunt', which was laced with crack.  Prior to this, at age 14, he said that he had never smoked cigarettes or weed. DMX asked "Why would you do that to a child? ..."  From that introduction he went on to struggle with drug addiction throughout his life, even though, on numerous occasions, he had sought professional help to fight addiction.     

 

As rightly said by the Roman playwright Plautus, "A word to the wise is enough."


Michael Headley is a social commentator.


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