Pubdate: Sun, 05 Apr 2015
Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB)
Copyright: 2015 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.winnipegsun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.winnipegsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/503
Author: David Pankhurst
Page: 10
Note: Parenthetical remark by the Sun editor.

LEGALIZE POT

Legalize marijuana to benefit society: It's been at least 30 years 
since the respected British magazine, The Economist, and many others, 
presented rational arguments for legalizing marijuana. There has 
finally been some global movement in this direction, and we hope 
Canada will soon follow.

Prohibition doesn't work - it simply encourages crime. Marijuana is 
widely available anyway, so let's have all society reap the financial 
benefits. There would be a huge boost and "fiscal dividend" for our 
economy: Significant increases in tax revenues, significant 
reductions in legal costs-including fewer law-enforcement officers, 
fewer public lawyers, fewer court cases, fewer prisons and related 
administrations.

Think of all the productive uses this financial windfall could be 
applied toward. National debt could be paid down, tax rates could 
fall, money would be available for infrastructure, etc. The benefits 
clearly outweigh the costs. This is an easy decision.

David Pankhurst

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(Legalizing pot will create its own problems. The issue is whether 
those problems will be worse or not as bad as the problems we have now.)
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom