Pubdate: Sun, 15 Jul 2007
Source: Daily News, The (CN NS)
Copyright: 2007 The Daily News
Contact:  http://www.hfxnews.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/179
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n823/a04.html
Author: Russell Barth

NIGHTMARE SCENARIO

To the editor:

Re: Halifax Among Cities Where Arrests Spike, The Daily News, July 9.

As a federal medical-marijuana licence holder who is also married to 
one, I fear nothing in this world more than a Tory majority 
government. The Tories have been very clear about this subject. They 
believe marijuana is dangerous and that there's no medical use for 
it. Period. They also believe people who use or grow marijuana should 
face criminal charges - even teens and sick people. They also believe 
criminal sanctions are the best way to deter marijuana's use, so they 
believe prohibition should remain in place.

Here is the nightmare I envision:

- - After campaigning on a tough-on-drugs policy, the Tories win a 
majority government.

- - They announce the closing of the unconstitutional and dysfunctional 
Health Canada Medical Marijuana Program. This violates our Charter 
rights, but, hey - who can stop them?

- - All 1,770 sick and dying federal medical-marijuana licence holders 
are informed their licences are no longer valid. They have no legal 
supply at all, and if they grow or possess any marijuana, they may be charged.

- - Police use the new majority government as tacit permission to start 
rounding up marijuana dissidents - especially people who hold 
protests, write letters, run compassion clubs, own head shops or 
criticize the government. Since they have all of our names and 
addresses at the Health Canada office, it would be like shooting fish 
in a barrel.

- - Large-scale dealers and growers pop corks to celebrate as the 
government announces new, tough sentencing laws that punish pot 
growers. This scares off thousands of small-time basement growers, 
leaving all the business for the gangsters.

- - My epileptic wife has a seizure and dies because she was forced to 
use street weed grown by thugs. The pharmaceuticals never worked 
anyway, and with no legal or safe supply, it was either street weed or nothing.

This is what keeps me awake at night. With Prime Minster Stephen 
Harper slipping in and out of majority territory, I am more terrified 
than ever. I pray hard that Canadians will see the Tories for the 
clear and present danger they are.

Russell Barth

Ottawa
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom