Pubdate: Fri, 02 Mar 2012 Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC) Copyright: 2012 Vancouver Courier Contact: http://www.vancourier.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474 Author: Stan White Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v12/n155/a08.html Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v12/n156/a01.html Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v12/n156/a02.html Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v12/n156/a09.html Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v12/n156/a10.html POT LEGALIZATION WILL REDUCE DRUG DEATHS To the editor: Re: "Insite sees Narcan spike while city overdose deaths climb," Feb. 22. Cannabis prohibition and those who support it are partly responsible for higher hard drug addiction rates and heroin overdose deaths. One significant thing concerned citizens can do to help lower heroin addiction rates and save lives is re-legalize cannabis. Cannabis prohibition increases hard drug addiction rates. How many people, including youth, try cannabis and realize it's not nearly as harmful as government (including DARE) claims and then believe other substances must not be so bad either only to become addicted to hard drugs? In the U.S., government even classifies cannabis a Schedule I substance alongside heroin while meth and cocaine are only Schedule II substances. Cannabis is purchased from people who often sell hard drugs and legalizing it would separate that extremely popular, relatively safe God-given plant (see the first page of the Bible) from hard drugs, further lowering hard drug addiction rates which would save more lives. A sane reason to continue cannabis prohibition simply doesn't exist. Stan White Dillon, Colorado - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.