Pubdate: Mon, 04 Feb 2002
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2002, Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact:  http://www.fyiottawa.com/ottsun.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Chris Donald
Note: Parethetical remark by the Sun editor; headline by newshawk
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

BETTER THINGS TO DO

Thank God the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a Charter challenge of our 
country's insanely expensive, unpopular, and futile laws against marijuana, 
because all the police PR stunts and tactical squad home-invasions in the 
world will have no effect whatsoever on the price, availability, or usage 
rates of such a popular recreational and medicinal herb.

For years now, poll after poll has shown that the vast majority of 
Canadians favor either legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana, and no 
wonder: It isn't rocket science to figure out that with the police 
advertising nation-wide that these home "grow-ops" produce millions of 
dollars worth of marijuana with no education or experience required, 
operating "grow-ops" will remain a rapid-growth industry, like distilling 
alcohol was back in the 1920s.

Despite dire predictions to the contrary by police, society did not fall 
apart when alcohol prohibition was just ended one day, and the Dutch, 
Swiss, most of Europe actually, have already proven society will not suffer 
when we finally wake up and end marijuana prohibition.

Instead of police PR stunts whose only benefit is free advertising for 
every hydroponic supply store in the country, we need to legalize, 
regulate, control, and most of all, demand proof-of-age. The police have 
better things to do with their time than keep us safe from greedy home 
gardeners.

Chris Donald

(Depends on who those "home gardeners" are)
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MAP posted-by: Beth