Pubdate: Fri, 03 Apr 2009
Source: Montreal Gazette (CN QU)
Copyright: 2009 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274
Author: Raj Patel
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n380/a05.html

ONLY LEGALIZATION WILL WORK

Re: "No hope for dope" (Letters, April 2). Roch de Bellefeuille 
writes that the controversy over contraband cigarette production on 
native reserves proves that legalizing marijuana will never work.

On the contrary, it's clear proof that only legalization will work. 
When the government allowed a regulated but unlimited tobacco market, 
there was no contraband production. It is only when the government 
got greedy and tried to discourage tobacco consumption" with 
excessive taxes that the contraband industry took off. If the 
government really wanted to limit, it could have criminalized 
tobacco. Of course, just like the criminalization of marijuana, that 
would have had little effect.

Therefore, if the government wants to take back control of the 
tobacco industry and gain control of the marijuana industry, their 
only hope is to legalize, lower taxes (which will only mean raising 
taxes on something else, to be sure), and try to curb consumption 
through awareness campaigns rather than money grabs.

Raj Patel

Montreal
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom