Pubdate: Fri, 17 Jan 2003 Source: Daily Herald-Tribune (CN AB) Copyright: 2003 Daily Herald -Tribune Contact: http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1840 Author: Larry Seguin NARC SOCIETY Re: "Letters arrive en masse from across North America, particularly from the United States". (Debate on Marijuana is Doubled-Edged, editorial, Herald-Tribune, Jan 10 2002). Editor: We send letters because Canada is about where the U.S. was in the 1970s. Cannabis was about to be legalized. But, that took a deadly political turn based mostly on propaganda, scare tactics and lobbying dollars. As the editor noted on personal freedoms - they quickly went downhill. To support the increase of cannabis arrest, probable cause was invented. Probable cause is everyone and everything based on law enforcement judgment. It has turned us into a 'narc on your neighbour' country. All to catch a cannabis user! For 30 years the courts, jails, prisons, drug task forces, SWAT teams (used mostly in pot raids), probation, rehab facilities, etc., have expanded to the point they are supported by the 730,000 cannabis arrests each year. A vicious cycle of arresting to support arrests. LARRY SEGUIN Lisbon, New York - --- MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPFFlorida)