Pubdate: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 Source: Chronicle, The (CN QU) Copyright: 2006 Media Transcontinental Contact: http://www.westislandchronicle.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4097 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n308/a02.html Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n311/a07.html Author: Michael Lecompte LEGALIZING DRUGS NOT A SOLUTION I am a Montreal police officer with over 30 years experience on the job, 20 of those years working drug squad and surveillance sections. I also grew up in a poor and tough neighbourhood of Montreal and have seen many people I grew up with ruin their lives because of the consumption of drugs. The views and opinions expressed are my personal ones and not ones necessarily held by the Montreal Police Service. I must say I was simply dumbfounded by the solutions suggested in the letters to the editor titled 'Legalise it' and 'Lost credibility' (The Chronicle, March 8). I think that these people should get out of their office and see the real world to realize the damage the use of illegal drugs are causing, especially to our youth. If I understand their reasoning, the solution to solving any difficult problem is to legalize it, hence the problem disappears. Heck, why not legalize organized crime, illegal possession of handguns, money laundering, etc. To say that the legalisation of marijuana would take the business out of the hands and criminals is at best utopia. Government "marijuana stores" would apply taxes and I expect would have some sort of age control, thus maintaining a black market for cheaper tax-free marijuana and under age pot users. I must say that we, in the police community, must find effective prevention and enforcement programs to combat the use of illegal drugs, and yes, maybe our present methods appear to be anemic, but to outright legalize the use of marijuana is in my opinion, a foolishly simplistic solution to a complex sociological problem. I might also add that all this "legalization/decriminalization" debate is without a doubt sending the wrong message to our youth, therefore I am sort of surprised and disappointed that an ex-cop from the U.S.A. would support this issue, as well as I am not surprised that a marijuana user would hold the same opinion. Bottom line, whether you legalize or decriminalize marijuana, this stuff is a danger to our youth and will not, contrary to these experts' opinions, remove the criminal element or organized crime whatsoever. MICHEL LECOMPTE Cmdr. Station 1 - --- MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPF Florida)