Pubdate: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 Source: Coquitlam Now, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2005Lower Mainland Publishing Group, Inc. Contact: http://www.thenownews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1340 Author: Alan Randell Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) THE PROS AND CONS OF LEGITIMIZING POT Re: "Study confirms that Coquitlam is going to pot," Saturday, March 12. If 100,000 people are committing a particular crime and the authorities manage to charge, say, 1,000 of them in a year, what is the point of increasing the punishment for said crime? As long as the chance of being found out is tiny, not even the threat of the death penalty will make many erstwhile criminals stop their illegal activities. The truth is the government is totally powerless to stop the marijuana trade. Time for the politicians to smell the coffee and legalize marijuana. Alan Randell Victoria - --- MAP posted-by: Beth