Pubdate: Mon, 26 Nov 2012
Source: Alberni Valley Times (CN BC)
Copyright: 2012 Alberni Valley Times
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/vancouverisland/albernivalleytimes/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4043
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v12/n598/a05.html

IT IS TIME TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA IN CANADA

Re: "Washington vote boosts change in province," (Alberni Valley
Times, Nov. 20) Now that neighbouring Washington State and Colorado
have legalized marijuana, Ottawa can no longer claim Canada must
uphold marijuana prohibition in order to maintain good U.S. relations.

In 2002, the Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs
concluded that marijuana is relatively benign, prohibition contributes
to organized crime, and law enforcement efforts have little impact on
patterns of use.

Consider the experience of the former land of the free and current
world leader in per capita incarceration. The U.S. has double the rate
of marijuana use as the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally
available.The only winners in the war on marijuana are drug cartels
and shameless tough-on-drugs politicians who confuse the drug war's
tremendous collateral damage with a plant.

Robert Sharpe

Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy
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