Pubdate: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 Source: Guelph Mercury (CN ON) Copyright: 2003 Guelph Mercury Newspapers Limited Contact: http://www.guelphmercury.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1418 Author: Ian Miller Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03/n1402/a10.html PROHIBITION FEEDS ILLEGAL GROW HOUSES Dear Editor - I can understand Tom Ford's concern for his neighborhood "Stop the pot grow operators" (The Guelph Mercury, Sept.16) but he needs to look beyond his street. No amount of enforcement will make marijuana grow houses go away. It is said that one in every three homes in British Columbia is a grow op. Authorities admit that the situation is hopelessly out of control. Just look to the U.S., where the problem has only gotten worse after militarizing their police forces and spending billions in the war on some drugs. This is because prohibition makes a God-given herb literally worth its weight in gold. The risk/reward ratio is a no brainer. You don't hear about people ransacking houses to grow tomatoes, do you? Decriminalization will not solve any problems, and leaves the production and distribution of "drugs" in the hands of organized crime (and terrorists). Children are still left unprotected, dealers don't require identification. When we re-legalize and regulate Marijuana like alcohol, the problems of prohibition will once again vanish. Ian Miller, Halifax - --- MAP posted-by: Josh