Pubdate: Wed, 04 Dec 2002 Source: Merritt Herald (CN BC) Copyright: 2002 Merritt Herald Contact: http://www.merrittherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1446 Author: Robert Sharpe GREENSWEEP PROBLEM, NOT SOLUTION Re: Cops bust grow-ops, www.merrittherald.com, Nov. 27, 2002. Operation Greensweep is part of the problem, not the solution. Merritt's hazardous marijuana grow operations are a direct result of marijuana prohibition. Legitimate farmers do not steal electricity to grow produce in the basements of rented homes. If legal, growing marijuana would be less profitable then farming tomatoes. As it stands, the drug war distorts market forces such that an easily grown weed is literally worth its weight in gold. Rather than continue to subsidize organized crime, policymakers should heed the recommendation of the Canadian Senate. In the words of Senator Pierre Claude Nolin: "Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public health issue." Consider the experience of the former land of the free and current record holder in citizens incarcerated. Police searches on public transit, drug-sniffing dogs in schools, and random drug testing have led to a loss of civil liberties in the United States, while failing miserably at preventing marijuana use. Based on findings that criminal records are inappropriate as health interventions, a majority of European Union countries have decriminalized marijuana. Despite marijuana prohibition and perhaps because of forbidden fruit appeal, lifetime use of marijuana is higher in the U.S. than any European country. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Unfortunately, marijuana represents the counterculture to misguided reactionaries intent on legislating their version of morality. Canada should follow the lead of Europe and Just Say No to the American Inquisition. Robert Sharpe Program Officer, Drug Policy Alliance Washington, D.C., USA Ed. note: Since running a story about the police arrests several e-mails have been sent directly to the Merritt Herald from online readers south of the border. Rather than letting Americans tell us which of our laws we should keep, are there any Canadians out there who feel the same way? Let's hear from you!