Pubdate: Wed, 27 Aug 2014
Source: Windsor Star (CN ON)
Copyright: 2014 The Windsor Star
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/501
Author: Laura Young
Page: A6
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n667/a12.html

USE OUR TAX DOLLARS WELL

Re: Legalizing dope would cost everybody, opinion column by Chris Vander 
Doelen, Aug. 13.

I was appalled at Windsor Star columnist Chris Vander Doelen's column
begging that we re-enter the era of reefer and other criminal code
madness.

It seems he is even out of touch with your readers.

Over 80 per cent of Windsor Star online poll respondents said yes to
the question "should marijuana be legalized?"

Are all these readers Marc Emery followers who are happy to be seen in
public toking large cartoonish joints, wearing pot leaf clothing and
jewelry and who consider marijuana a big issue in their lives? I don't
think so.

I'm a wife and mom. Education, future available jobs, tax rates, safe
neighbourhoods and traffic congestion are far bigger issues for me.

And, I know that tax dollars wasted on keeping relatively harmless
activities like recreational marijuana use (and, as Mr. Vander Doelen
throws out an unrelated reference to) sex work are truly wasted.

My husband, law professor Alan Young, has shown me and other Canadians
over the years that by using the heavy hand of criminal law to
prohibit certain lifestyle activities rather than just using it to
prohibit other truly harmful acts (harmful acts like giving pot to
children or forcing people into prostitution), we are diverting the
attention of police from solving more serious crimes.

We're also clogging up our court system and warehousing non-violent
persons in our jails.

No, we're not all public-toking young yahoos.

But we know where we want our tax dollars spent and how not to waste
them.

Laura Young, Toronto
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MAP posted-by: Matt