Pubdate: Sun, 05 Aug 2001
Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB)
Copyright: 2001 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact:  http://www.fyiwinnipeg.com/winsun.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/503
Authors: Steve Vandekemp, Robert Sharpe
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Note: Title by mapinc editor
Note2: Parenthetical remark by publication editor

DON'T LET THE GOVERNMENT CAPITALIZE: LEGALIZE!

Cockburn Far Out

Lyn Cockburn, your most recent column (Marijuana law a bummer, man, 
Aug. 1) is glorious!

We will fight until they legalize it and stop all the idiotic demonizing.

Now we have our own government wanting to take over the pot industry 
from the bikers, etc.

As Marc Emery said, the very people who have been persecuting us for 
decades now wants to run the biggest medical pot racket in the 
country.

I don't think so...

Steve Vandekemp

Brantford, Ont.

(Lyn says, "Thanks dude," but she says it cautiously.)

~~~~~~

Marijuana Madness

Not only should medical marijuana be made available to patients in 
need, but adult recreational use should be regulated as well. The 
reason for this is simple: Leaving the distribution of popular 
recreational drugs in the hands of organized crime puts children at 
great risk.

Unlike legitimate businesses that sell liquor, illegal drug dealers 
do not check IDs for age, but they do push profitable, addictive 
drugs like heroin when given the chance.

Politicians need to stop worrying about the message drug policy 
reform sends to children and start thinking about the children 
themselves. At present Canadian tax dollars are being wasted on 
anti-drug strategies that only make marijuana growing more 
profitable. The drug war's distortion of basic supply and demand 
dynamics makes an easily grown weed literally worth its weight in 
gold.

With money practically growing on trees any illegal grow operations 
destroyed will be replaced.

There are cost-effective alternatives to the failed drug war. In 
Europe, the Netherlands has successfully reduced overall drug use by 
replacing marijuana prohibition with regulation.

Separating the hard and soft drug markets and establishing age 
controls for marijuana has proven more effective than zerotolerance. 
As the most popular illicit drug in Canada, marijuana provides the 
black market contacts that introduce users to drugs like heroin. This 
"gateway" is the direct result of a fundamentally flawed policy.

Given that marijuana is arguably safer than legal alcohol, it makes 
no sense to waste tax dollars on policies that finance organized 
crime groups like the Hells Angels and facilitate the use of deadly 
hard drugs.

If you are interested in a comparison of Dutch vs. U.S. rates of drug 
use one can be found at:

http://www.netherlands-embassy.org/c_drugstat.html.

Robert Sharpe
Program Officer
The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation
Washington, DC
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MAP posted-by: Josh Sutcliffe