Pubdate: Tue, 15 Apr 2014
Source: Sudbury Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2014 Osprey Media
Contact: http://www.thesudburystar.com/letters
Website: http://www.thesudburystar.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/608
Author: Et Hermikari

BLACK MARKET WILL SUPPLY MARIJUANA

Medical marijuana is a bit of an oxymoron. Cannabis sativa has been 
on Earth longer than we. Should the day arrive that my doctor gives 
me a prescription for "medical marijuana," I will go to a proven & 
trusted source - the black market.

Until a few short decades ago, the whole issue would have been 
ludicrous, even more so than today. Until then, there was no 
illegality involved. Hemp was widely used because of its durability, 
much better than cotton. Along came nylon, the new miracle fibre. To 
take over the market nylon's inventors Dupont had to get rid of hemp, 
and that could be done by demonizing the sister plant, marijuana. And 
just by co-incidence, the U.S. government passed laws banning 
marijuana, so convenient, and so typical of "free enterprise."

There was also the involvement of William Randolph Hearst, the 
newspaper publisher. Hemp was a threat to his timber holdings. Fast 
forward some decades, and the "war on drugs," which started out as a 
prohibition of cannabis, has of course grown to include all kinds of 
intoxicants. The cost to taxpayers is in the billions of dollars with 
no winner in sight.

And now Ottawa wants to hand over ordinary citizens, now growing 
their own, to corporate producers. There is already a rush to list on 
stock exchanges.

And finally, some years down the line, we will again shake our heads 
and wonder why the rich are getting richer and everyone else loses. 
As for me, and other sane people, we trust real markets, be they 
black or any other colour.

ET Hermikari

Greater Sudbury
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom