Pubdate: Wed, 16 Feb 2005
Source: Airdrie Echo (CN AB)
Copyright: 2005 Airdrie Echo
Contact:  http://www.airdrieecho.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1558
Author: Russell Barth
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

PROHIBITION IS NOT THE ANSWER

Dear Editor:

Re: Police join forces to bust grow ops (Airdrie Echo, Feb. 9)

The only way to make grow ops less dangerous and thwart the efforts of 
organized crime is to legalize and regulate the business. Pot-growing is 
lucrative specifically because it is illegal. Prohibition fuels the market 
by artificially inflating the price of a weed, which will grow anywhere one 
drops the seeds. By endorsing the increase of penalties, police are 
endorsing more prohibition. Therefore, they are endorsing a system which 
subsidizes organized crime, endangers Canadians, makes drugs easier for 
kids to get than alcohol or tobacco, wastes police resources and is costing 
Canadians billions.

Just which side of the law are they really on, anyway?

- -- Russell Barth, Ottawa, Ont. 
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MAP posted-by: Beth