Pubdate: Wed, 22 Nov 2017
Source: Richmond News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2017, Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.richmond-news.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1244
Author: Roger Bryant

ENOUGH WITH THE REEFER MADNESS

Dear Editor,

Re: "Trustee: Stop sending our youth mixed pot messages," Letters, Nov. 17.

When are the reefer madness people going to let it go? For three
generations, marijuana prohibition has been tried and is a complete
failure. Some members of society should not have the power to impose
their own moral code on adults when no harm is being done to others.

Some of us are against alcohol and/or gambling, yet people are free to
make their own choices. This is true despite the health dangers of
booze and the chance that gambling can ruin lives financially.

On the other hand, marijuana has medicinal uses and causes the
munchies. Of course, when pot becomes legal like alcohol, driving
under the influence will be wrong and will face penalties, but how
naive are you if you think it doesn't happen already?

At least with legal marijuana we won't worry about foreign substances
like fentanyl being added. The real enemy is synthetic drugs capable
of killing people, not near-harmless marijuana.

For this reason, more and more respected public figures are calling
for clean drugs to be made available to recreational users and addicts
rather than have them die. Marijuana has an effect not unlike alcohol
but never causes an overdose. As well, with legalization the criminal
element should fade away.

The war on drugs has brought us drug gangs shooting at each other in
public places and wasted billions in policing costs with no tangible
results. Furthermore, legalization will bring in tax dollars. Compare
that to criminals laundering their drug money at the casino and paying
no taxes.

Do your own research. Go online and look up "polls on marijuana" and
you will find that all of the credible mainstream pollsters show solid
public support for legalization.

Roger Bryant

Richmond
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt