Pubdate: Sat, 12 Feb 2005
Source: Nanaimo News Bulletin (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005, BC Newspaper Group
Contact:  http://www.nanaimobulletin.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/948
Author: Alastair James Berry
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

DECRIMINALIZE TO STOP CRIME

To the Editor,

Courtney Dawe welcomes more police and hopes crime and violence will
fade (More police welcome, Feb. 1). Some think, as long as people
equate prostitution and drug use with sin, there is little hope of
improvement.

Prostitution and drug use need to be decriminalized and regulated.
Prostitution must be permitted in clean, warm, attractive brothels and
indeed the new downtown plan is remiss in not yet having included one.

Drug use, both legal and illegal, presents far less danger to society
from stoned addicts than from these poor unfortunates, when sober but
desperate, having to find big money to buy their fixes.

Get the police and courts off the backs of drug users, legal and
illegal, except when they endanger the public while stoned. Let the
medics treat the addicts legally and watch our prisons empty, the
courts speed up and see at least 50 per cent of the costs and problems
of sin vanish.

Alastair James Berry

Nanaimo
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin