Pubdate: Wed, 23 Jan 2002 Source: Kitchener-Waterloo Record (CN ON) Copyright: 2002 Kitchener-Waterloo Record Contact: http://www.therecord.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/225 Author: Kirk Muse Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n080/a06.html DRUG LAWS ARE HARMFUL In response to the Jan. 17 Record article, Tougher Pot Grow-Penalties Urged, getting tough on drug producers and sellers has been tried here in the United States. The net results are that the U.S. now has more prisoners than any other country in history. With less than five per cent of the world's population, the former "land of the free" has more than 25 per cent of the world's prisoners -- thanks primarily to our counterproductive war on (politically selected) drugs. Most of our drug-related crime is actually drug-prohibition caused crime. Canada's crime and murder rates are a small fraction of the U.S. rates. That will soon change if Canada adopts the U.S. drug policies. Kirk Muse, Vancouver, Wash. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake