Pubdate: Tue, 27 Aug 2013
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2013 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Carl Kloppenburg
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n436/a01.html

WHAT'S THE RIGHT MESSAGE?

Re: Sends the wrong message, Aug. 26.

It seems clear that letter writer Larry Comeau, a retired RCMP 
superintendent, maintains that old school approach to the issue of 
marijuana regulation. It is precisely to the inanity of the current 
laws regarding possession and use of marijuana that Justin Trudeau is 
drawing attention.

If a continuation of "the war on drugs" is Comeau's only way of 
addressing this issue, then he is severely out of touch with the 
majority, both in society in general, and policing in particular. It 
has become anecdotally evident that the war on drugs has been a 
monstrously expensive failure. Any young person today who decides 
they want to try marijuana will find it readily available in 
handy-to-pay-for amounts almost anywhere.

When Comeau states that "having enforced Canada's drug laws for many 
years, I feel any decision to legalize marijuana should only be done 
after a thorough debate of the pros and cons," where has he been 
these last many years? That ship has sailed. Poll after poll suggest 
that the majority of citizens here and in the U.S. find the current 
mandatory drug laws regarding marijuana to be unreasonable. Canadian 
police chiefs have come to roughly the same conclusion in that they 
want to only ticket possession and no longer treat it as a crime.

Comeau makes use of the usual scare tactics regarding marijuana. It 
is incumbent upon him to provide his evidence in the face of so many 
more scientifically based opinions that suggest otherwise.

Carl Kloppenburg, Nepean
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom