Pubdate: Sat, 16 Feb 2002
Source: Langley Advance (CN BC)
Copyright: 2002 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.langleyadvance.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1248
Author: Chris Donald
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n090/a05.html
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n172/a08.html

DRUGS: GREEN SWEEP IMPACT QUESTIONED

Dear Editor,

Will Operation Green Sweep's use of our tax-dollars to enforce the 
prohibition approach to pot policy, which admittedly sells papers, props up 
police budgets, and scores political points, actually have any significant 
impact on the usage rates, price, or production of pot [Pot busted, Feb 1., 
Langley Advance News]?

History says no: alcohol prohibition in North America produced tens of 
thousands of news articles and police raids identical to the those 
accompanying the Green Sweep PR stunt, and the production and smuggling of 
illegal (and often poisonous) home-distilled hooch increased annually for 
the entire period.

Replace "pot" with "booze" and "grow op" with "still." If something easy to 
produce is made worth its weight in gold by prohibition policies, and the 
fact is publicized through the press constantly, then there is no stopping 
people from trying to cash in.

Society survived ending alcohol prohibition, despite dire predictions that 
are being repeated about pot in the present, and most of Europe has already 
ended pot prohibition with no apparent problems.

Only organized criminals will be put out if we end the prohibition on pot.

The police have better things to do with their time than protect us from 
greedy home gardeners, and our tax-dollars have better uses than providing 
them with free room and board in prison to the tune of 50G per year per pot 
grower.

Chris Donald
Dartmouth, NS
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart