Pubdate: Fri, 15 Jul 2011 Source: Nanaimo Daily News (CN BC) Copyright: 2011 Nanaimo Daily News Contact: http://www.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1608 Author: Andrew Brown CRIME WILL GET A LOT WORSE UNDER TORY LEGISLATION Re: 'Gangs want a piece of our drug market' (Daily News, July 14) My response to this article is, obviously. And things are going to get a whole lot worse when the Tories force through their "tough on crime" legislation this fall. The stakes will be higher to be in the business, so prices will soar and make it far more profitable for these gangs that are now here. Prepare for violence and turf wars while gangs try to increase their share of the market place, with many innocent victims losing their lives along the way-- and we will have the Conservative party to thank for this. Perhaps if Stephen Harper would listen to the mountains of evidence showing that his strategy will not work, this could be avoided. We need a regulated drug market. It is imperative that marijuana be legalized as a first step to cripple gang profit and separate "ma and pa" from violent criminals, and focus law enforcement resources on dealing with more pressing issues that affect the safety of our families. Andrew Brown Nanaimo - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.