Pubdate: Sat, 26 Dec 2015
Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)
Copyright: 2015 The Globe and Mail Company
Contact:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/168
Author: Jonathan Colvin
Page: F9
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v15/n713/a06.html

GONE TO POT

Andre Picard writes that, while not benign, marijuana is less harmful 
than both tobacco and alcohol (If Pot Is Medicine, Treat It That Way 
- - Dec. 22).

Thus, there seems to be little reason that pot should not be sold for 
recreation, just as cigarettes are, in corner stores, with an 
enforced age limit and restrictions on advertising. As medicine, pot 
should be compared to non-prescription drugs such as aspirin, which 
while it is potentially harmful if taken in overdose, is safe enough 
to be sold on supermarket shelves.

Dispensaries serve a valuable purpose for those seeking medicinal 
rather than recreational use, in allowing advice to be dispensed 
along with the product. Heavy-handed overregulation is neither 
necessary nor wise.

Jonathan Colvin, Richmond, B.C.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom