Pubdate: Wed, 11 Mar 2009 Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB) Copyright: 2009 Canoe Limited Partnership Contact: http://www.winnipegsun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/503 Author: Russell Barth Note: Parenthetical remark by the Sun editor. LOWER BUTT TAXES Re: 'Cigarette tactics a drag,' Point of View, Michael Den Tandt, March 7. Maybe we should ban tobacco entirely. Or maybe we could lower the taxes on tobacco, making people more likely to buy legal smokes instead of illegal ones. Or maybe we could put more money into education, which has proven to reduce tobacco use, instead of spending more money on cops and jails, which has proven to not only fail, but actually make the problem much worse. Or maybe we should legalize and regulate marijuana. That would free up money we now waste on cops, and generate tax revenue. More prohibition means more subsidizing of gangsters. More regulation means less money for gangsters and jails. Russell Barth Nepean, Ont. (It's always about legalizing pot with you isn't it?) - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom