Pubdate: Tue, 29 Sep 2015
Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB)
Copyright: 2015 Canoe Limited Partnership.
Contact: http://www.edmontonsun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://www.edmontonsun.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/135
Author: Muike Strobel
Page: 11

WHY HASN'T THIS ELECTION GONE TO POT?

Colorado did it. Oregon and Washington, too. Sarah Palin's Alaska did 
it. Maine hasn't done it yet, but its biggest city, Portland, did.

Even the District of Columbia did it, which may explain that goofy 
grin on Joe Biden's face. Spain, Portugal, Holland and Uruguay did 
it, to one degree or another. Many other countries are doing it or 
thinking about doing it.

Hell, North Korea reportedly did it, though you're out of luck if you 
get the munchies.

Bangladesh did it. At the risk of starting a stampede to Bangladesh, 
I read you can get a gram of decent local product for 15 cents. No 
wonder they call their river the Ganga.

Yes, the list of jurisdictions around the world with legal 
recreational marijuana is growing like, well, a weed.

So what's keeping us? Why is it still a taboo on the campaign trail? 
Why is even hipster Justin Trudeau chickening out? Why is it nowhere 
to be found on major party platforms?

It's surprising, when you consider Monday's Forum poll, which shows 
54% of Canadians favour legal weed, while 34% do not and 11% aren't 
sure or were too giggly to respond.

The poll also finds 49%-38% support for legal prostitution and 
44%-39% opposition to a long-gun registry.

Those numbers warm the cockles of my libertarian heart. What they say 
is that we, the great unwashed, don't want the government deciding 
for us what is clean and what is not.

Marijuana is a victimless "crime."

But when you make something a crime, guess who shows up. Criminals.

Prohibition was the best thing that ever happened to Al Capone and 
Lucky Luciano.

And when criminals show up, guess who follows. Cops and courts.

And when cops and courts show up, guess what follows. Many millions 
of dollars to add to national and provincial debts.

Think of the countries with the toughest marijuana laws, such as 
China, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Cuba, Singapore. Not exactly bastions 
of freedom, are they? If you're lucky, they don't lash you before 
they throw you in jail to rot.

They don't lash you in Canada, but you're still a crook. Former 
Quebec Tory candidate Buddy Ford knows this. He was punted in August 
after his 2011 possession charge popped up.

Too bad. Buddy missed his chance to be a poster boy for legalizing 
pot. Maybe he should switch to the Libertarian Party, which would 
legalize doobies on Day 1 in power, in the unlikely event that day ever comes.

Leader Tim Moen e-mails me: "When it comes to marijuana policy 
reform, we can count on the Conservatives to block it, the Liberals 
to study it and the NDP to waffle on it."

Regular readers know I've preached legal pot for eons, though I have 
not toked up for 30 years.

Weed is no worse, and maybe better, than booze, tobacco, doughnuts, 
colas and assorted other legal substances we imbibe and inhale. Plus, 
we wrest control of cannabis from the crooks.

Think of all that pot-busting money - in the U.S., the War on Drugs 
has cost an estimated $1 trillion - and grass tax going somewhere 
useful, such as roads, subways, debt reduction and the average Joe 
and Mary Jane Does' pockets. Maybe even a bicycle lane or two.

So it really is the economy, stupid, which is the buzzword of this 
federal campaign.

Likely you heard Trudeau favours the end of Prohibition II. But the 
Liberal campaign website does not even include it in its lengthy list 
of promises.

Smelling fear, the Conservatives have mocked Trudeau for being 
pro-pot and he has avoided the issue like the Grim Reefer, as has NDP 
Leader Thomas Mulcair.

Former Toronto Police chief and Conservative stalwart Julian Fantino 
skirmished with former chief Bill Blair, a Liberal candidate, over 
legal weed. But otherwise it's been more like political rope-a-dope, 
as Ali used to say.

Big mistake. The three parties should check out the polls - and think 
of all those younger voters just itching for an issue to vote on.

The pot traffickers must be smirking. For now. Sooner or later, 
Prohibition II is over, and those skilled crooks are out of work. I 
wonder what they'll do.

Go into politics, probably.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom