Dear Editor, The problem Mr. Erbacher discusses reaches far beyond homeopathy [Pseudoscience dangerous, March 1 Letters, Langley Advance]. For example, many plants have medicinal properties, like garlic and ginseng and coffee, but overuse of those plants can cause sickness and even death. Water is good for you, but if you try to drink too much too fast, you can die. Nutmeg is harmless in low doses, but is a powerful hallucinogen in large doses, and a deadly poison in higher doses. [continues 306 words]
Local Leaders Are Upset That Medical Marijuana Growers Are Targets Of Violence. Legal marijuana is proving a major crime headache for the Langleys. On Sunday morning, a medicinal marijuana grow operation in Brookswood was raided by armed thieves, the RCMP say. Two men knocked on the door at about 3:30 a.m., claiming they had car troubles. They forced their way past the residents, and tied up and blindfolded the victim. The two home invaders, armed with a rifle and a knife, ransacked the home looking for drugs, money, and weapons, said Cpl. Holly Marks, spokesperson for the Langley RCMP. The legal grow op in the garage was cut down and taken. [continues 414 words]
Crime changes and policing changes, and so CrimeStoppers is changing, too. A staggering array of calls has come in to CrimeStoppers over the past several decades, RCMP Cpl. Jack Stetz said Tuesday. Stetz was the speaker at this month's Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce dinner, and talked to the local businesses owners about the past and present of the non-profit group. "CrimeStoppers was started by a cold case in Albuqerque, New Mexico, by a Canadian detective wh lived down there," Stetz said. [continues 303 words]
The government may seize a Langley property after pot was found there earlier this year. A Langley property worth three quarters of a million dollars has been taken over by the government after police found marijuana growing there this summer. On June 10, police in Langley, Surrey, and Abbotsford swooped down on four properties, including one in Langley. All four were being used to grow pot, and eight people were arrested, including Brent Goss, Tyler O'Neill and Alexis O'Neill of Langley. All eight are facing a number of drug related charges, and the O'Neills have also been charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm. [continues 99 words]
A grow op was dismantled in a quiet Brookswood neighbourhood on Friday. A Brookswood marijuana grow op was dismantled by the Langley RCMP on Friday, but the resident won't face any charges. Police were originally called out to a home in a cul-de-sac, on 38th Avenue east of 200th Street, to check on the well-being of the resident, said Cpl. Holly Marks. The man apparently hadn't been heard from in a while. When officers arrived and knocked on the door, they found no one home, but they did detect the odour of marijuana. [continues 77 words]
Dear Editor, While the Canadian media blathered endlessly to each other and distracted the public with the Long Gun Registry issue, something that is literally 15 to 20 times bigger is about to run right over Canadian taxpayers - something that already costs more each year ($1.2-1.5 billion) than the LGR has cost to date. And that cost is about to climb steeply. It's something that - unlike the LGR - actually increases crime and subsidizes criminals. Recent changes to the Controlled Drugs And Substances Act make just about anything involving marijuana a "serious" crime. That means bigger fines, and more chance of jail for longer stints, for smaller offenses. That means less "pleading-out", which will mean even longer and more expensive court backlogs - on the taxpayers' dime. [continues 224 words]
Dear Editor, I am a rural property owner in Langley and have been for many decades. Over the years, our family has witnessed crime and theft in our area increase dramatically. Twenty years ago we did not ever lock our house or our cars in our driveway. Back then, Langley was a friendly, trusting place where people passing you on the street would wave and smile. Now, the neighbours get anxious and jittery when a non-familiar vehicle is in the area. Our doors are always locked. Our possessions are guarded. The kids are driven to school instead of walking themselves. The list goes on. [continues 201 words]
Dear Editor, Like many of us, Mr. Erbacher is alarmed at the government's willingness to use our own money to knowingly lie to us [Government lies and wastes, Sept. 10 Letters, http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n750/a10.html. What I find most alarming is the public's willingness to believe it. When I was a child, one would have a lot of difficulty gathering enough evidence to counter the propaganda. Telling someone to "look it up for themselves" usually entailed an afternoon at the library. [continues 93 words]
Public access to Burns Bog shouldn't be banned completely, says the president of the Burns Bog Conservation Society. Eliza Olson was asked to comment on three outdoor marijuana grow-ops found near the 10400-block of 64th Avenue earlier this month, a discovery made by a police helicopter. Officers on the ground seized a total of 1,200 mature plants as well as related equipment. According to Delta police, the plants were just a few weeks from harvest and would have yielded an estimated street value of $450,000. [continues 257 words]
Dear Editor, I suppose I should cease to be shocked at this government's ability both to lie and to waste money. As I sit in my seat at the movie theatre to watch Inception - which I highly recommend - I am bombarded with commercials. That is to be expected. What I did not expect was to see an ad full of blatant lies funded by my tax dollars. I am talking, of course, about the government's "not4me" anti-drug campaign. You may have seen the signs on SkyTrain advertisements or in buses. It is yet another rehashing of the failed "Just say no" campaign of the Ronald Reagan administration. [continues 164 words]
Dear Editor, Please send this to Jeff Waddell: http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0630/g20-cops-threatened-women-rape/ and tell him to stick up for the police to these women and children's faces [Police critique utter garbage, July 9 Letters, Langley Advance]. When all the evidence about the G20 abuses finally comes out, Canadians will learn something about their police forces that marijuana people have known for years: that they simply cannot be trusted. Russell Barth, Federally Licensed Medical Marijuana User [end]
A local business owner wants to open a medical marijuana dispensary. Langley needs a medical marijuana dispensary somewhere in the community, according to the local business owner who is licensed by Health Canada to provide medical pot. Randy Caine submitted proposals for licensed dispensaries to Langley Township and City, three and two weeks ago, respectively. He said the need is there. "We have a very large seniors population here," he said. He expects demand to continue to rise as the population ages and more people struggle with chronic diseases and other conditions. [continues 371 words]
Langley City residents are invited to a public meeting to discuss legal marijuana. People with questions about medical marijuana can seek answers at a community meeting on Friday evening, July 9 (tonight). Hempyz, a gift and novelty store on Fraser Highway, is sponsoring the meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Douglas Recreation Centre. Since 1999, Health Canada has administered the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations that allow people to use pot for certain medical conditions. Hempyz owner and meeting organizer Randy Caine is licensed to dispense medical marijuana to people who have Health Canada approval - a responsibility that involves going through annual legal screening. [continues 266 words]
Dear Editor, There are times when lawyers and judges should be held in higher esteem, especially when they are protecting our precious, hard-fought freedoms. Thankfully, a judge of the BC Court of Appeals had the wisdom to put the brakes on the continual erosion of our rights and freedoms [Courts protect grow operators, May 28 Opinion, Langley Advance]. Private property rights are the fundamental cornerstone of any free society. Instinctively, it appeared to be Big Brother intrusion: the grow-op search/seizures by bureaucrats (without court ordered warrants) on private property were in violation of our basic rights and freedoms. [continues 502 words]
Dear Editor, I do not know about Canada, but in the United States, law enforcement officials who under the colour of law deprive individuals their rights is a crime. In response to Matthew Claxton [Stoners need better arguments, April 30 Painful Truth, Langley Advance], the Canadian and American judiciary have reviewed the marijuana laws by rational review. Rational review is used by the courts when no fundamental rights are affected by the law. Judicial review of these criminal laws by rational review is deprivation of rights under the colour of law. [continues 222 words]
Dear Editor, Prohibition's racist roots [Prohibition has racist roots, May 14 Letters, www.langleyadvance.com] is a main part of the reason it still exists: drug prohibition gives the police all the "legal" right they need to stop, search, and generally harass the young, the poor, people of colour, and people with non-regulation hair-cuts. What most people don't realize is that the practice police have of simply stopping people, asking them questions, searching them, and generally harassing them is completely illegal. [continues 288 words]
A new ruling will require warrants before electrical inspectors can search for pot. To get the Public Safety Inspection Teams (PSIT) back up and running, Langley Township will have to jump through a few extra hoops. On Thursday, the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled that Surrey's similar program violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The programs are based on sending municipal electrical inspectors and bylaw officials into homes with suspiciously high power consumption. In many cases - well over 90 per cent in Langley's experience - such homes were using the extra power to light and heat indoor marijuana grow operations. [continues 260 words]
Dear Editor, Russell Barth offered many cogent arguments [Drugs: Effective arguments abound, May 7 Letters, www.langleyadvance.com], however he was not exhaustive. Yet another reason to consider re-legalizing cannabis is the way in which it was made illegal in the first place. The campaign to make drug-use illegal was not a public health campaign. Much like the movement to ban alcohol, prohibition was forced upon the nation by religious zealots who thought that they had the right to control the private behaviour of others. [continues 169 words]
Dear Editor, The gang problem will continue unless we stop subsidizing gangs [Fighting gangs in Langley, May 7, Langley Advance]. The Conservative federal government is subsidizing gangs. It even has a gang bailout bill that will cost the taxpayers $10 billion per year! Isn't that great? Your tax dollars are being used to artificially inflate the price of drugs so that gangsters can buy more flashy things and attract your kid. Maybe they will have so much money that they can even buy bigger guns. [continues 178 words]
Dear Editor, I guess it no longer occurs to reporters that cops are often mistaken, misinformed, or just plain lying. "The trade spreads its tendrils into the economy in several ways, said RCMP Chief Supt. Janice Armstrong," your story noted [Big money in B.C. marijuana trade, May 7, Langley Advance]. "Tendrils" denotes a creeping sneaky, tangled up image in the mind. Prohibition is the real problem, but Mounties always portray it as the cure. Your story adds, "Armstrong noted that as with street level drug dealing, gangs keep their members away from the actual grow ops most of the time." [continues 186 words]
Dear Editor, The main reason organized crime flourishes is because of government policies making popular substances and vices illegal [Organized crime has long history, May 7 Painful Truth, Langley Advance]. This not only subsidizes the criminals, it subsidizes the police and court system put in place to "fight" the gangs. The whole thing is a big children's game of cops 'n robbers, but this game costs billions of dollars and thousands of lives every year. It is all by design. The War On Certain Plants was never meant to be "won," it was meant to be continuous and profitable. And that is why it will never end. Russell Barth, Federally Licensed Medical Marijuana User [end]
Dear Editor, How about these arguments [Stoners need better arguments, April 30 Painful Truth, Langley Advance]: THC (and the hundreds of other compounds found in cannabis) have dozens of therapeutic applications, including, but not limited to, the shrinking of tumors. Curing cancer strikes me as a good reason to legalize pot. The "links" to mental illness are nothing more than links. The studies themselves show that it is equally as likely that the mental illness caused the pot use, not the other way around. There is no scientific evidence that marijuana causes any mental illness or brain damage. Further research would have shown the writer that. [continues 405 words]
Crime goes back a long way. Probably as far back as the first caveman who realized he could pummel his friend with a rock and steal his slice of mastodon steak. Organized crime probably is a little younger. A week or so, maybe. That's when three cavemen banded together to beat up anyone walking by their cave, and took all their stuff. Human beings are inherently sociable, and a fraction of them are always willing to break the rules to get what they want. Combine those two traits, and you get criminal gangs. [continues 491 words]
"The loyalty is to the money," said a Langley RCMP officer who investigates drug-dealing gangsters. To understand the gangs that send bullets flying in Langley in recent years, you have to understand their business. "Their whole business revolves around drugs," said Sgt. Jason Wilde, head of the Langley RCMP Drug Section. "Their whole organizations are fuelled by the drug trade." Gangs control the street-level distribution of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine across the Lower Mainland. Wilde sat down with the Langley Advance recently to talk about dial-a-dope operations, the bread and butter of gang life. [continues 719 words]
Pot is a big business - for gangs, and for some legitimate firms on the edge of the drug world. One of B.C.'s biggest cash crops remains illegal, underground, and largely controlled by gangs. The marijuana trade in B.C. nets about $6 billion a year, and approximately 85 per cent of that trade is in the control of organized criminal gangs, according to police estimates. The trade spreads its tendrils into the economy in several ways, said RCMP Chief Supt. Janice Armstrong. Armstrong, a former head of the Langley detachment, now oversees the Lower Mainland's integrated policing teams, including the Integrated Gang Task Force. [continues 559 words]
A pot grower fought with violent intruders in Aldergrove earlier this week. Langley police say a violent encounter between a marijuana grower and thieves trying to steal his crop has sparked a major investigation. The Langley RCMP were first called to the area of 60th Avenue and 253rd Street on Monday after a report of suspicious men seen in the area, said RCMP Cpl. Holly Marks. Mounties quickly found a nearby home harbouring a 500-plant marijuana growing operation. Police pieced together the evidence and believe the home's occupant defended the grow op from intruders. During a fight, at least one intruder was hurt. [continues 185 words]
Dear Editor, Bryanna Anderson makes some points that would be interesting if they were not so sadly misinformed [Legalization not the answer, April 9 Letters, www.langleyadvance.com]. As for "...sending out the wrong message to children," what kind of message does subsidizing organized crime and usurping the public's basic right to choose send them? What kind of message does criminalizing a plant with dozens of medical applications tell them? What kind of message do they take from an arbitrary, dysfunctional, and outrageously counterproductive drug "war"? [continues 507 words]
Dear Editor, Russell Barth's argument to legalize and regulate drugs [Drugs: Legalizing would stop gangs, March 26 Letters, www.langleyadvance.com] is one that many should find offensive. He believes that the police do not want to legalize drugs because that would result in budget cuts and layoffs. Unlike Barth, I do not believe all police men and women are trying to trick the public into giving them money by making us believe that "crime is a bigger issue than it is." For the most part, I know the police are out there doing the best they can to protect the citizens of our cities, and accusing our brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, aunts, and uncles of perceiving crime as a threat in order to keep their jobs and acquire more money for "powers of intrusion and coercion" is insulting. [continues 311 words]
Dear Editor, The number one best thing we could do to thwart gangs [Business asked to stymie gangs, March 19, Langley Advance] is legalize and regulate their commodities. Pot sold in coffee shops, harder drugs sold in pharmacies and clinics, and discreet brothels to get the prostitution off the streets and reduce slavery would pretty much steal all the business away from the gangs. But cops don't want these things legalized here, because it would likely have the same effect as similar measures have had in the Netherlands, namely, a dramatic reduction in crime. And that means budget cuts and layoffs. [continues 105 words]
Dear Editor, The Conservatives preach a zero-tolerance policy to drug use and plan to impose mandatory jail time for people who grow even one marijuana plant in a rented dwelling, but when the husband of an MP gets caught drunk driving and in possession of cocaine, he gets to plead down to "reckless driving." It's one law for them, another law for the little people. Maybe now more Canadians will realize what a bunch of brazen hypocrites these so-called "conservatives" really are. Russell Barth, Federally Licensed Medical Marijuana User [end]
Dear Editor, Stephen Harper's callous attitude towards drug-addicted people continues to be thwarted by the facts. The B.C. Court of Appeal ruled that Insite - Vancouver's supervised injection facility - will remain open, despite the federal government's objections. Research has shown that, since Insite opened its doors, there has been a large reduction in public drug use, syringe-sharing, and discarded syringes. Research has also shown a reduction in the transmission of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. In addition, since Insite opened, more addicted people are seeking treatment and information on detox services. Even further, there has been no increase in public drug-dealing and no increase in drug use or drug-related crime. [continues 184 words]
Dear Editor, The people happiest about these busts [Cops mulch marijuana grows, Jan. 22, Langley Advance] are the 95 per cent of growers who are not being caught. Every single bust is a subsidy to the rest of the industry. The cops know it, which leads me to wonder just which side of the law these clowns are really on. Russell Barth, Nepean, Ontario [end]
Dear Editor, It appears that the average person is not excited about mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes. Bill C-15 passed the senate committee and has now been sent back to the House of Commons. The interesting thing, however, is that the Conservatives seem to be backing away from this terrible bill. Liberal senators made some very minor adjustments, so that, if someone grows five to 200 plants in a residential area they receive a mandatory minimum sentence, but if they grow it in a rural area, they do not. Curiously, with the exception of one upset rant from our malicious justice minister, the Conservatives have downplayed their disappointment with the amendments. They are beginning to realize that this bill will cost them votes. [continues 228 words]
Youth At Risk Team Officers Helped A Langley Teen Get Off Drugs And Stay Out Of Trouble. All and all it has been a good week for us at Langley RCMP detachment. For the most part serious crimes have been kept to a minimum, and our members wrapped up some great investigations resulting in the arrests of several prolific car thieves and break and enter suspects. I am hopeful these efforts will have a noticeable impact on our property crime rates. [continues 333 words]
Dear Editor, The thing Mr. Erbacher [Raids won't stop drugs, Dec. 8 Letters, www.langleyadvance.com] doesn't mention is that politicians are more interested in pleasing cops and their myopic, fearful, misinformed voter base than they are in implementing sane policy. Cops like prohibition because they get money and power to harass the young, the poor, people of colour, and people with non-regulation haircuts. Gangsters like prohibition because it makes them rich, and wealth makes them powerful. Politicians like prohibition because it gives them someone to blame and stigmatize for the community's woes. Addiction "experts" like prohibition because it assures that they will have a long line of "patients" looking for - or more often, being forced into - "treatment." [continues 163 words]
Dear Editor, The public, not police, inform policy. A third Willoughby home has been raided in the past few days [Third Willoughby home raided, Dec. 1, Langley Advance], and nothing will have been achieved. When a grow-op is busted, two more spring up in its place. There would be no such thing as a grow-op if cannabis was taxed and regulated. If tomatoes were made illegal today, and people were prosecuted for growing tomatoes, we would see the exact same dangers and the same theft of electricity. The price of tomatoes would increase and gangs would fight over tomato-dealing territory. [continues 101 words]
Dear Editor, The problem with prohibitionists like Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender [Mayor offers drug advice to Ottawa, Nov. 6, Langley Advance] is that they are like religious fanatics: they "believe" in their position, and no amount of facts and history and science can ever sway them from their belief. In fact, the more evidence you present to prove them wrong, the more they dig in their heels. It is faith-based drug policy-making, and it is beyond absurd. Actually, attitudes on drug prohibition are a good litmus test for any politician: If you cannot grasp the simple, third-grade-level math of prohibition's folly, or if you choose to deliberately ignore that evidence, then you are not even qualified to vote, let alone run for office. [continues 57 words]
Dear Editor, Frank G. Sterle Jr.'s erroneous conclusions on perceived harms of cannabis [Grass not harmless at all, Nov. 17 Letters, www.langleyadvance.com] have been debunked by recent studies. Less than a week ago, the American Medical Association reversed it's 72-year position on Cannabis, recommending it be recognized for particular medicinal applications, and downgraded from Schedule 1. There are over a thousand studies on the medicinal properties of Cannabis. It's the most studied plant on Earth, the most patented plant on Earth, the most nutritious plant on Earth, and the most industrially versatile plant on Earth. [continues 61 words]
Dear Editor, Re: Grass not harmless at all, Nov. 17 Letters, www.langleyadvance.com. According to Alasdair M. Barr, PhD., Heidi N. Boyda, BSc. and Ric M. Procyshyn, PharmD, PhD, the majority of people who use cannabis are unlikely to develop any lasting mental illness as a result of its use. However, continued cannabis use may result in a poorer long-term outcome in those with an existing psychotic disorder. Cannabis use may increase the chances of developing psychosis. Its use may also cause psychosis to begin at an earlier age in those who are at a greater risk for psychosis than the general population. [continues 164 words]
Dear Editor, Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender has been criticized for his testimony in Ottawa regarding Bill C-15 [Mayor offers drug advice to Ottawa, Nov. 6, Langley Advance], a bill that calls for mandatory minimum sentences for drug-related crimes. While I respect the right of others to offer opinions, I find comments by Mike Foster and Travis Erbacher [Mayor's stance dangerous, Nov. 20 Letters, Langley Advance] to be very troubling and irrational. As a member of the Concerned Leaders for Justice Reform (CLJR), Mayor Fassbender and others have shown excellent leadership in researching and then advocating for various criminal justice initiatives. The CLJR exists courtesy of MP Mark Warawa, with early input from MLAs Rich Coleman and Mary Polak. [continues 435 words]
Dear Editor, To urge the continued illegality of marijuana, Frank G. Sterle, Jr., [Grass not harmless at all, Nov. 17 Letters, www.langleyadvance.com] uses a study suggesting that consuming large amounts of marijuana might exacerbate schizophrenia. The United Nations says that one per cent of the world's population suffers from the illness. By Mr. Sterle's logic, since about the same percentage have peanut allergies that kill hundreds every year and send thousands to the emergency room, shouldn't peanut butter be banned? And it seems that marijuana, by Sterle's standards, is even safer than peanuts, since marijuana has not caused an overdose death in recorded history. Jeff Meyers, Ventura, California [end]
Dear Editor, Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender was recently invited to speak in favour of Bill C-15 [Mayor offers drug advice to Ottawa, Nov. 6, Langley Advance]. He says that he doesn't know why he was invited. I do. Thirteen of 16 expert witnesses testified that C-15 will increase gang profits, increase the severity of gang disputes, and result in hundreds of dead bodies lying in our streets. They all had peer-reviewed scientific studies to back up their claims. [continues 244 words]
Dear Editor, Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender has indeed been very outspoken on drugs and organized crime. Unfortunately, he has put all his energy in being heard, and little into being right. Fassbender has gained favour in Harper's Ottawa because he so willingly and skillfully repeats the distortions required to maintain pressure for more prohibition. Too bad he has no interest in understanding that more prohibition cannot solve the problems that prohibition causes. It was seven years ago that the Senate report denounced existing legislation imposed on the Cannabis plant and culture. [continues 76 words]
Dear Editor, Re: "Drugs: Marijuana safer than water" & "Drugs: Harmful pot claims unfounded," Letters, Oct.30, Langley Advance. Maybe marijuana is safer than the water that's flushed down the toilet after it's been used; furthermore, it's been solidly proven that marijuana consumption is indeed damaging to the human body and mind. As a former frequent cannabis consumer, I, along with many of my former (some still) cannabis-consuming peers whom I've bumped into these last dozen years or so, can attest to the permanent damage that marijuana can cause to the consumer's body and mind. [continues 248 words]
Dear Editor, Kait Huziak [Legal drugs would add crime, Oct. 27 Letters, Langley Advance] is completely wrong. The fact is, if drugs were legalized, it would be much harder for kids to get them. I'm not saying they couldn't: just a lot harder. Drug dealers don't care how old your kid is; they sell to anyone who has the money to buy, even if the buyer is 10 years old. Under government control, there would be age restrictions, as with alcohol and tobacco. Do you really think that, if drugs were legal, people would be running to the drug store thinking "Wow! Heroin is legal; I better go try some?" [continues 110 words]
Dear Editor, Ms. Huziak [Legal drugs would add crime, Oct. 27 Letters, Langley Advance], who took anti-prohibitionist Mr. Harvey [Law puts money in thungs' pockets, Oct. 16 Letters, Langley Advance] to task for "fallacious" statements, needs to look in the mirror and give her head a shake. Her letter was filled with myths, assumptions, and outright falsehoods. Drugs - all of them - were legal prior to prohibition, just like alcohol. Plus, like it or not, the desire for drugs exists now, despite (and maybe in part because of) prohibition. There is absolutely no evidence that ending prohibition will increase usage. Indeed, usage of cannabis in the Netherlands, where it is legal, is significantly lower than here where it is illegal. [Editor's note: In fact, cannabis is not technically legal in the Netherlands, but laws prohibiting its use are not enforced.] [continues 231 words]
Dear Editor, Marijuana myths make me mad. It seems that the most consistent argument made in favour of drug prohibition is that drugs are illegal because they are harmful. I would like to challenge that idea, particularly in the case of marijuana. Studies commissioned by the U.S. federal government that were specifically designed to find a link between marijuana smoke and lung cancer found no such link. In fact, recent studies have shown that when a tumour in a test tube or in a lab rat is treated with THC [an active component of marijuana] the tumour shrinks by up to one half its mass. [continues 309 words]
Dear Editor, I completely disagree with Kait Huziak, who is utterly misinformed about Cannabis and prohibition. Fact: opium and Cannabis were legally prescribed medicines in Canada until 1908 and 1932, respectively. No, we do not need to legalize a thing just because it is desired, but when that thing is Earth's most medicinally active plant, we're not just talking about any old thing, are we? Here is the growing list of more than 1,000 studies proving the medicinal efficacy of Cannabis: [continues 186 words]
Dear Editor, Kait Huziak [Legal drugs would add crime, Oct. 27 Letters, Langley Advance] is wrong on every single point regarding drug prohibition, and Mike Harvey [Law puts money in thugs' pockets, Oct. 16 Letters, Langley Advance] is absolutely correct. It seems that Kait has never attempted to research the issue at all. Modern-day drug prohibition is exactly like alcohol prohibition. When alcohol was made illegal, the price jumped exponentially and gangsters took control of it. Gang disputes killed many, as did impure alcohol. [continues 269 words]
Dear Editor, I completely disagree with Mr. Harvey [Law puts money in thugs' pockets, Oct. 16 Letters, Langley Advance]. While I respect his opinion, I have to say his statement is fallacious. He feels drugs should be legalized, and compares the prohibition of alcohol to the current-day drug trade. However, alcohol had been legal prior to the prohibition, and the legal desire was already there. Unlike alcohol, drugs were never legal in Canada. Do we need to legalize things just because there is a desire for it? [continues 308 words]
