Pubdate: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 Source: Quesnel Cariboo Observer (CN BC) Contact: http://www.quesnelobserver.com/ Address: 188 Carson Ave. Quesnel, B.C. V2J-2A8 Copyright: 2006 Quesnel Cariboo Observer Author: Robert Sharpe Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) MARIJUANA: IT'S A SOCIAL PROBLEM Re: Quesnel RCMP drug crack down continues, The Observer, April 12. B.C.'s hazardous marijuana grow operations are a direct result of marijuana prohibition. Legitimate farmers do not steal electricity to grow produce in the basements of rented homes. If legal, growing marijuana would be less profitable than farming tomatoes. As it stands, the drug war distorts market forces such that an easily grown weed is literally worth its weight in gold. Rather than continue to subsidize organized crime, Canadian policymakers should ignore the reefer madness hysteria of the U.S. government and instead look to their own Senate for guidance. In the words of Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, "Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and public health issue." Robert Sharpe Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman