Pubdate: Wed, 18 Mar 2009
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2009 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Jacob Hunter
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n307/a08.html

POT LEGALIZATION A START

Mark Tonner claims the commercial transport of legal marijuana would 
be hazardous beyond belief. Why? Expensive and valuable goods are 
transported on our roads every day, including many which are far more 
valuable. By Tonner's logic, the end of alcohol prohibition would 
have seen similar danger in transport. Yet, trucks emblazoned with 
names like Molson drive our streets in relative safety with nary a 
sign of Al Capone.

Tonner asserts liquor stores would need military-grade protection if 
they sold legal pot.

Why? Liquor stores already hold millions of dollars in inventory, and 
many types of alcohol are far more valuable than marijuana, yet they 
don't need military-grade protection.

Marijuana prohibition is a costly and dangerous failure that has 
enriched organized criminals.

Ending that prohibition and replacing it with an effective regulatory 
and taxation framework would transfer control of a $7 billion market 
from criminals to government and allow police to focus on violent and 
property crime. Legalizing marijuana may not solve all our problems 
but it's a start.

Jacob Hunter, Vancouver
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom