Pubdate: Sat, 17 Oct 2015
Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2015 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact: http://www.torontosun.com/letter-to-editor
Website: http://torontosun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v15/n566/a06.html
Author: Ross Reynolds
Page: 16
Note: Parenthetical remark by the Sun editor.

PROHIBITION NO ANSWER

Re "Trudeau wrong on marijuana" (Ken Robertson, Oct. 7): I find it 
odd that every problem associated with cannabis has been determined 
during a prohibition. Clearly, prohibition has accomplished zilch. 
You can't control the product and you can't control the market so it 
ends up one big mess. Canada prohibited cannabis in 1923, a good 10 
years before it even appeared. Why? Fear of the unknown. Ken 
Robertson admits the "war on drugs" goal of supply reduction has been 
futile. Every argument opposing legalization he makes is based on, 
not surprisingly, fear and conjecture and lumps cannabis with the 
harder drugs when it comes to health costs, crime and addiction. 
Society already tolerates a certain degree of addiction and there has 
never been a scientific study that has proven the harmful effects of 
addiction. Decriminalization wouldn't resolve much either, a black 
market would still exist. We simply don't know what would happen 
under a legal market but it is the avenue that sho! uld be explored.

Ross Reynolds

Toronto

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(Cigarettes are legal and there's a huge black market in illegal 
cigarettes. Why would pot be different?)
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom