Pubdate: Mon, 16 Mar 2009 Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Copyright: 2009 Times Colonist Contact: http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481 Author: Barry Carvish GET REAL ON DRUGS AND CRIME, TAKE CONTROL OF DISTRIBUTION Build government housing for the people living on the street. Allow access to the substances they are addicted to through government-controlled outlets. This will reduce the demand for the illicit drug trade and reduce crime and violence. Drugs don't cause most of the violence and crime we are seeing, it is the desperation of the users and territorial control by the distributors. It will never go away unless you take the distribution from the gangs and control it through legal means. Why are we so afraid to move in this direction? It cannot be any worse than what we've been doing. Our current drug laws are a harmful and destructive failure, and an assault on our freedom of consciousness. Mexico is on the verge of chaos due to drug wars, and the chaos is spreading throughout North America. End it now. Own up to the reality. Stop the introduction of mandatory minimums for marijuana. Barry Carvish Victoria - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin