Pubdate: Sun, 27 Apr 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: Bill Kushniryk Note: Parenthetical remark by the Sun editor, headline by newshawk DON'T BUST THEM, HIRE THEM I agree with Robert Merkin in his criticism of the federal government's "pot growing" venture. It is ridiculous to spend so much money on the failure that it turned out to be. Last year the Mounties "busted" a venture up here in western Manitoba, where an ambitious group buried a couple of boxcars underground and were growing good-quality marijuana (till someone turned them in). They could do this very profitably (I presume), or else they wouldn't have been doing it. Now I ask you, wouldn't this make more sense? Hire these guys instead of jailing them. I'm sure they could save us taxpayers a bundle and also not be a burden on the penal system. This would be a win-win solution, no? Bill Kushniryk Swan River, Man. (Yes, but what pot dealer in their right mind would take the pay cut .. plus they'd have to be bilingual, wouldn't they?) - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart