Pubdate: Fri, 22 Apr 2005
Source: Leduc Representative (CN AB)
Copyright: 2005 Leduc Representative
Contact:  http://www.leducrepresentative.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2265
Author: Russell Barth

MARIJUANA PROHIBITION A WASTE OF MONEY

Dear Editor:

So, some Liberal-friendly ad firms got a few million in inappropriate 
funding. Big deal. When you compare that to the Liberal Government's 
marijuana prohibition policy over the past 12 years, it seems like a door 
prize by comparison.

Nine-hundred million dollars wasted annually on drug-law enforcement, plus 
court costs, plus corrections, and you are talking almost $2 billion of 
taxpayer's money wasted every year.

This doesn't include the immeasurable cost of having 600,000 Canadians with 
criminal records, many of them unable to travel or maximize their earning 
potential and generate tax revenue, which hurts the whole country's economy.

All this effort and cost, and more people are using and growing marijuana 
than ever before. Not to mention the nearly $3 billion that a regulated 
domestic cannabis market could generate in annual tax revenue. So, that 
means Canadians are nearly $5 billion poorer every year because of Liberal 
policies. I hope the Auditor General gets to examine that situation pretty 
soon.

By not regulating the cannabis market, the Liberal government is 
deliberately subsidizing organized crime to the tune of about $10 billion 
every year, wasting billions in taxpayer funds, depriving Canadians of 
billions more in tax revenue, endangering the safety of Canadians, and 
making cannabis easier for kids to access than either alcohol or tobacco.

Having all that money floating around the black market helps cocaine and 
gun dealers, and I am sure that the 'terrorists' are pleased about that.

If anyone can think of a bigger example of fiscal and social 
irresponsibility in Canada, I'd love to hear it.

Russell Barth,

Ottawa, Ont.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom