Pubdate: Wed, 04 Oct 2000
Source: Summerland Review (CN BC)
Copyright: 2000 The Summerland Review
Contact:  13226 N. Victoria Rd., Summerland, BC, Canada
Fax: (250) 494-5433
Website: http://www.summerlandreview.com/
Author: Jim Cummings
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1459/a07.html

Zones Won't Stop Drug Use

Dear Editor:

Re: Penalties Double in Drug Free Zones

That's funny. These are not drug free zones, they are double penalty zones.

The war on drugs assumes that increasing penalties will somehow reduce demand.

Drugs are everywhere, and punishment for using pot should not warrant a 
harsher penalty simply because there is a school nearby.

Why?

You also failed to mention that high schools are the best drug distribution 
centres around!

On the other hand, legalizing drugs would mean that we regain the capacity 
to regulate and tax them, confining distribution to responsible adults.

Rather we have a biker war being fought in Quebec precisely because these 
compounds are illegal - it's about market share.

Prohibition has failed, so why don't you wise up.

There's nothing wrong with smoking pot, and no one should be punished for 
this even more harshly than they already are. Drug free zones are a joke. 
Get real!

Jim Cummings
University of New Brunswick
Frederickton
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens