Pubdate: Tue, 03 Mar 2009
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 The Vancouver Sun
Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477
Author: Lloyd Creech

DRUG TRADE CREATES A VICIOUS CIRCLE

Is the United States not one of the largest consumers of illegal drugs
in the world? Is it not true that the U.S. has been fighting the "war
on drugs" for several decades and losing?

We have heard in Canada, particularly on the West Coast, that we
should have stiffer penalties for people convicted of crimes. They
should be more like the sentences in the U.S. Building and maintaining
prisons is a major industry in the U.S.

Longer sentences would obviously mean a convicted criminal would be
off the streets longer, but will it deter him or her? Some penal
experts claim that gangs do a lot of their recruiting in prisons.

It seems as long as there is a huge market for marijuana (for everyday
people, not just criminals), there will continue to be people wanting
to make big bucks, that will try and smuggle marijuana into the U.S.

They will receive, in payment, illegal guns and other drugs like
heroine. This, of course, puts more guns on our streets. It's a
vicious circle.

Lloyd Creech

Oliver
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