Pubdate: Sat, 14 Feb 2009 Source: Abbotsford News (CN BC) Copyright: 2009 Abbotsford News Contact: http://www.abbynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1155 Author: Robert Janvrin MANDATORY MINIMUMS NOT THE ANSWER Editor, The News: Mandatory minimum sentences do not put teeth into the law, they remove justice from the law. Vigilantes want frontier justice, not the protection by law of the innocent from unjust prosecution that a civilized society deserves. Such measures are the tactics of the self-righteous who treat citizens as children instead of adults, and insult judges who are appointed because of their knowledge of the law and their wisdom. As a lawyer, Ed Fast should know this. His boosterism of Bill C-26 smacks of hypocrisy and politicking, and those who believe that C-26 will improve matters are being misled. The Abbotsford Police will confirm that crack is a much bigger problem than marijuana. Marijuana under the control of organized criminals is traded cross-border for guns and crack. Decriminalizing marijuana may result in an increase in smoking weed, but cripple the gangs and help get rid of crack and guns on our streets. Robert Janvrin Abbotsford - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin