Pubdate: Wed, 09 Nov 2005 Source: Maple Ridge News (CN BC) Copyright: 2005 Maple Ridge News Contact: http://www.mapleridgenews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1328 Author: Dan Banov Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05.n1735.a08.html ELIMINATE DRUG PROHIBITION LAWS Editor, the News: Re: We need more treatment centres (Letters, Nov. 2). In response to Loring Anderson's call for more treatment centres and less support, I agree. Supply of drugs to addicts is a desperate, misguided enabling effort to deal with a critical problem. Efforts are needed to prioritize prevention before treatment and, certainly, supporting drug use. The first step to prevention is to eliminate prohibition laws. Making drugs illegal makes it difficult to control. So long as marijuana and other drugs are illegal, we will have entrepreneurs using whatever way they can to sell their wares. It is much easier for youth to buy marijuana than cigarettes, which do not have high-pressured sales forces. They do not have a sale force that will kill to increase market sales. Smoking is decreasing while others drug use increases. Why? Legalize drugs and you can control its use, sale and safety. Seventy years ago we had prohibition of alcohol. Can we not learn from history? Dan Banov, Federal Marijuana Party candidate Pitt-Meadows-Maple-Ridge-Mission - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin