Pubdate: Mon, 8 Jun 2009 Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB) Copyright: 2009 The Edmonton Journal Contact: http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/letters.html Website: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09.n599.a04.html Author: Russell Barth MAKING A MONOPOLY Re: "Mandatory jail for drug crimes nears passage; Tougher sentences have flooded U. S. prisons as trafficking continues unabated," The Journal, June 4. Aside from pandering to the Tories' myopic, visceral, misinformed, and punishment-happy voter base, Bill C-15 was designed specifically to increase crime. These mandatory sentences will scare off the mom-'n'-pop pot growers, who present direct market competition to the gangsters. With the little guys out of the game, the big guys will get more business and more profit. This will lead to more violence, which the police and government will use as justification for even more draconian laws and suppression of our civil rights. The whole thing is a scam designed to make it necessary to hire more cops, build more jails, and spend more taxpayers' dollars on a policy which further subsidizes organized crime. The media-addled public is being duped once again. Russell Barth, federally licensed medical marijuana user, Ottawa - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake