Pubdate: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB) Copyright: 2004, Canoe Limited Partnership. Contact: http://www.fyiedmonton.com/htdocs/edmsun.shtml Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/135 Author: L.D. Wilcock Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n333/a05.html Note: Parenthetical remark by the Sun editor, headline by newshawk WHY MORE SEVERE PUNISHMENT? RE: "THROW drug traffickers in jail." Did I miss something? The possession and use of pot, while illegal, is becoming more widespread and increasingly acceptable in our society as people begin to recognize that it is perhaps much less harmful than certain factions would have us think. The federal Liberals' plan to decriminalize possession of small amounts of the substance reflects that realization. Why then, if marijuana is indeed safer than cigarettes as Jacobs noted, should the individuals involved in the cultivation and distribution of pot be subject to even more severe punishment than they currently are? L.D. Wilcock (A question for Mindy to answer.) - --- MAP posted-by: Josh