Pubdate: Thu, 13 Aug 2015
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.ottawasun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.ottawasun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: David Reid
Page: 16
Note: Parenthetical remark by the Sun editor.

War on Drugs

I wonder if Stephen Harper and the neo-cons will ever face reality,
and admit that the war on drugs is an abject failure and stop throwing
away our tax money into this bottomless pit. I understand that
addiction is a horrible and tragic disease, and that families have
been laid to waste from the detrimental results left in its wake, but
until we treat the disease as a medical issue, and not a criminal
issue, we are doomed to repeat the dismal history on this so called
war.

I'm tired of listening to their fear mongering message about
keeping cannabis out of the hands of our children. It's already there.
If it was regulated, not unlike liquor or tobacco, and sold in
specific outlets, who have a vested interest in keeping their licenses
and therefore would only sell to age-appropriate patrons, you would
end this problem overnight.

Unlike the system in practice now, where black market profiteers and 
criminals sell to anyone with money in their pocket, while the police 
run around! chasing their tails. One need only do a quick search on the 
Internet about the country of Portugal, and their new age policy on 
drugs, to see that this is not only attainable, but inevitable.

It seems to me that money fighting the war on marijuana could be
better spent on education and rehabilitation programs.

David Reid

via Email

(The government will eventually come to that realization. Just a
matter of which government)
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MAP posted-by: Matt