Pubdate: Fri, 06 Feb 2015
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.ottawasun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.ottawasun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Blake Antosz
Page: 16
Note: Parenthetical remark by the Sun editor.

LEGALIZE IT?

So we've heard much of the recent gang-related violence is over the
drug trade. Here's a crazy idea: Legalize it. All of it. Let the
government produce, distribute, and collect taxes on the proceeds and
see what happens. Take a look at crime rates in Colorado since pot was
legalized. They've PLUMMETED.

The reason is gangs have no reason to bother with an industry that's
highly regulated and monitored. There will always be a black market,
but the more people are allowed legal access to drugs, the less
they'll have to deal with thugs fighting for their business. People
are going to use drugs. Time to adapt. If we want to get rid of these
clowns, we need to hit them in the wallet by taking away their supply.
Stiffer sentences only take out middlemen, and we are witnessing the
fallout - power vacuums like this create territorial violence, and
Ottawans suffer.

Blake Antosz

OTTAWA

(We don't think legalizing drugs is going to end gang violence)
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MAP posted-by: Matt