Pubdate: Fri, 30 Apr 2010
Source: Columbia Valley Pioneer, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2010 The Columbia Valley Pioneer
Contact: http://www.columbiavalleypioneer.com/contact.html#letter
Website: http://www.columbiavalleypioneer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4207
Author: Stan Nokleby
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n316/a10.html

THE REAL CRIMINALS ARE HIDING IN BOARD ROOMS

Dear Editor:

I am writing this letter in response to A.W. Shier's letter last week
in which he calls for changing the laws about cannabis. I could not
agree with him more; the laws must change. Cannabis was used freely in
everyday life for thousands of years, until oil was discovered. Then,
the evil geniuses at DuPont discovered they could produce anything
made with cannabis or hemp with petroleum byproducts instead.

Big oil and chemical companies had their politicians pass laws that
outlawed a miracle plant and allowed real criminals to rape and
plunder the Earth at the expense of our children's health.

Andrew Mellon, secretary of the U.S. treasury in Herbert Hoover's
administration and DuPont's chief investor, appointed his future
nephew-inlaw, Harry Anslinger, as America's first drug czar.

For the next three decades, he would continue to tell company lies
about the evil weed. During the 1930's, Anslinger told anyone who
would listen that "pot made you crazy" and during the 1950's he said
it would make people too mellow to fight the communists.

The truth of the matter is people within the U.S. government made a
decision that affected the health and welfare of billions of people,
for the obscene financial wealth of very few. The Canadian government
followed suit without any debate.

The laws of our great country have no chance of ever changing as long
as big corporations have their tentacles in our politicians and people
are willing to make money from the soul of the Earth.

I agree with A. W. Shier. The laws must change. Prohibition only makes
the real criminals and gangsters rich. Laws should be passed that
benefit mankind, not the bottom line of some big corporations. For a
perfect example of this kind of depravity, we need look no further
than the oil sands projects in Alberta and Saskatchewan. In the
future, cannabis will be used to clean up the mess that the oil
companies have left behind. Won't that be one of history's greatest
ironies?

Stan Nokleby, Edgewater
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