Pubdate: Wed, 18 Dec 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: M. St. John
Note: Parenthetical remark by the Sun editor

HERE'S MY TWO CENTS WORTH ON THE MARIJUANA ISSUE.

I  believe  the government is making this too difficult. The laws that 
the  majority  of  Canadian  people  follow  when it comes to drinking 
should  be put in place when it comes to smoking pot: We have to be 19 
years  or  older,  not  16, like the government is thinking; we cannot 
smoke and drive; we can not openly smoke in public, only in designated 
areas;  we  can  only  buy it in licensed establishment, just like The 
Beer  Store  or LCBO; the companies that grow it for these stores will 
also  need to be licensed, just like the beer or alcohol companies; we 
should  be  able to grow it for ourselves, just like you can make your own 
beer and wine; we can't be stoned and disorderly in public.

That's  just  a  few ideas. The licensing of sellers and manufacturers 
can  happen in the future, but for right now, it should not be against the 
law to grow your own. What's wrong with working all day and coming home, 
and either having a drink or smoking some pot?

It  still  should  be  illegal to have large-scale operations, for the 
sole  purpose  of  selling marijuana to the States. If we were able to 
grow  it  for  ourselves, we would not have to buy it from the illegal 
market,  which  in turn would reduce the amount of illegal growers. If 
the  States  did  the  same thing, then the American smokers would not have 
to buy Canadian; they too, couldn grow their own.

That would eliminate the underground industry, or at least help.

M. St. John, Ottawa

(We'd  prefer  to start with decriminalization, but who knows what the 
future holds)
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager