Pubdate: Mon, 14 Apr 2014 Source: Nanaimo Daily News (CN BC) Copyright: 2014 Nanaimo Daily News Contact: http://www.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1608 Author: B.E. Blinston Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n322/a02.html MARIJUANA IS THE SOURCE OF ADDICTION PROBLEMS Re: 'Officer finds it difficult to see 'children suffer' ( Opinion, April 9) Kudos to that B.C. police officer. I was hoping that members of the police force would speak out about decriminalization and ultimately legalization of marijuana. I, too, find it difficult to see children suffer. How does it start? Marijuana. Then it leads to more drugs and addiction. We need to have drug rehabilitation hospitals where addicts can go for help and have the best treatment possible - the best possible medical help available. But the taxpayer should not have to pay. When a pusher is found guilty of pushing drugs, then he should have all assets confiscated - his house, his car, his bank account. Everything should be reduced to cash and immediately sent to the rehabilitation hospital to help pay for addicts' rehabilitation. It is only fair. He started them; he can help heal them, if it is at all possible. Some countries hand out the death penalty for pushing drugs, so we would be extremely lenient by seizing all his assets. A fair trade indeed. By the way, these pushers have loads of money - billions of dollars that could be transferred to build hospitals. Watch an honour roll student in school start taking marijuana. The next thing you know his marks start to go down, and he doesn't have the same enthusiasm. Just hope they can stop before pushers find out, "Hey, he's smoking pot. We can give him some hash, cocaine, and more and more fun drugs." They will then know who their potential customers are. It's a big business. I just hope and pray we don't legalize marijuana. When I go out and about, I am now starting to get the drift of people reeking of marijuana more and more. (This includes children) Cigarette smoke bothers some people outside now - wait until it's legalized. I appreciate his remarks at the end, "Drugs are not bad because they are illegal, they are illegal because they are bad." Thank you, again. Good for you. B.E. Blinston Nanaimo - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom