Pubdate: Sat, 10 Aug 2013
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2013 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: 
http://www.calgaryherald.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-editor.html
Website: http://www.calgaryherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66
Author: Mark Botkin
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n388/a02.html

TEACH THE KIDS

Re: "It's not your mama's Woodstock weed," Dr. Peter Nieman, Opinion, Aug. 8.

In all the years I have been listening to the debate over whether or 
not marijuana is harmful, the only thing I can conclude is that 
jailing people for its possession or sale is not a valid treatment option.

If jail were somehow a remedy for the negative consequences of our 
sometimes questionable self directed choices, we would be jailing 
people who eat poutine. Most people in this country do not even know 
why marijuana is illegal in Canada. My research has failed to answer 
that question, but it seems to have had something to do with Judge 
Emily Murphy.

If all the money and effort that now goes into debating, researching 
and punishing marijuana use and its effects were instead directed to 
teaching young people that recreational drug use of any kind is often 
a reaction to unresolved problems and they should be seeking help, 
none of this would be the problem it is now.

We already know far more than we need to make informed choices about 
marijuana use. We don't need more research.

Mark Botkin, Calgary
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom