Pubdate: Mon, 22 Dec 2003
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2003, Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact:  http://www.fyiottawa.com/ottsun.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Russell Barth
Note: Parenthetical remark by the Sun editor, headline by newshawk

Letter Of The Day

LEGALIZE AND REGULATE MARIJUANA

Paul Martin is planning to move ahead with the proposed marijuana 
"decriminalization" legislation. If it is a "decriminalization" then why 
are the penalties for growing so harsh? With this new law, the one and only 
thing worse than growing pot would be murder.

Under Bill C-38, growing pot in your home would be worse than rape, incest, 
armed robbery, and manslaughter. These harsh penalties will "raise the 
stakes" in the drug war, and "criminals" will take bigger risks.

It will do nothing at all to deter recreational use, and the legislation 
makes no provisions for thousands of sick people who need this medicine.

Legalizing and regulating is the only sensible policy. It has been working 
in the Netherlands for 30 years, and by the time a person turns 18 there, 
only 8% have tried pot, compared to the staggering 30% teen pot use rate of 
North America. If Paul Martin thinks Bill C-38 is a sensible drug reform 
legislation, then he is more of an idiot than his predecessor.

Russell Barth

Ottawa

(We guess Chretien will have to wait for that toke he joked about, then)
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens