Pubdate: Fri, 23 Jul 2004
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2004 The Vancouver Sun
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Scott Allan
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1041/a01.html
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

BUSTING GROW-OPS IS A WASTED EFFORT

Re: Pot, hash use up almost 100% in Canada from 1989 to 2002, July 22

Marijuana use is here to stay. I don't want my tax dollars used to
fight grow-ops when the police can hardly bust but a small fraction of
them.

In the free and democratic society we supposedly live in, it should
not be up to a paternalistic government to tell me what I can and
cannot smoke. Marijuana has little risk to light users -- unlike tobacco.

There are no good arguments to stop anywhere short of legalization,
which would: allow our tax dollars to be spent on education of the
dangers of heavy cannabis use; weaken criminal gangs dependent on
grow-ops for their profits; provide excise taxes from cannabis to be
put into health care; and eliminate small, dangerous grow-ops that
would not be able to compete with larger, government-inspected operations.

If anyone wants to argue that cannabis should remain illegal because
it is bad for users' health, then I would beg them to press the
government to ban alcohol, tobacco, fatty foods, dangerous sports and
other "dangerous" pursuits we are freely allowed to engage in.

Scott Allan

Port Moody 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake