Pubdate: Wed, 08 Feb 2012
Source: Nelson Star (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Black Press
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/4kNvY8sy
Website: http://www.bclocalnews.com/kootenay_rockies/nelsonstar/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4866
Author: Keith Newberry
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v12/n060/a05.html

POT LEGALIZATION IS THE CLEAR ANSWER

Referring to Valerie McKone's heart-wrenching letter "Fighting for
medicinal pot" (Star, January 18) unfortunately it gets worse. Health
Canada, no doubt under a big squeeze from the Conservative government,
is planning to withdraw the right of doctor-approved patients to grow
their own medicinal marijuana. The arguments for this are
disingenuous. Apparently some indoor legal medicinal grow-ops have
been broken into and raided. Well, following this logic we should
close all corner stores since many of these in cities have been
repeatedly burglarized. Also, some licensed growers of medicinal
marijuana have abused the privilege by growing too much and selling to
the black market. This is a police problem, and would be vastly
reduced if all licensed marijuana growers were obliged to register
with their local police office and had the ever-present possibility of
being inspected.

In the big picture, it is high time the government took notice of the
facts about marijuana. It is safer than aspirin, less addictive than
coffee, does not lead to violence like alcohol does, and does not
cause cancer like cigarettes do - in fact it can alleviate it. There
is no known lethal dose. Marijuana is illegal because of the momentum
of historical expediency and current political cowardice, period.
There are no good reasons to make it a crime to use marijuana. If and
when we get a decent federal government, they will legalize marijuana
because it's the right thing to do and the majority of Canadians want
it. Until then a lot of good people will go to prison. Whose side are
you on?

Keith Newberry

Slocan, BC
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MAP posted-by: Matt