Pubdate: Wed, 23 Mar 2016
Source: StarPhoenix, The (CN SN)
Copyright: 2016 The StarPhoenix
Contact:  http://thestarphoenix.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/400
Author: Ken Sailor
Page: A6

TOSS OUT POT CHARGES

The farce continues: We had a compassion club in Saskatoon, much like
those in many other Canadian cities. In it, sick people helped sick
people find relief from a variety of problems through the use of marijuana.

Now what do we have? The same people who cannot shut down or even
reduce the underground illegal sales of marijuana are treating those
compassionate people as if they are major criminals.

My heart goes out to Jamie Hagel (I am not a drug trafficker, March
16) and the other defendants in the Saskatoon Compassion Club case.
There is no need to proceed with these prosecutions. Recently the SP
ran a story about the only man imprisoned for violating the ignorant
homosexuality laws. Who is going to be proud of enforcing the ignorant
marijuana laws that are in their final days on our law books?

For all the years wasted on prohibition, "policing" and court time,
and the lives broken or ruined in prison, there is no evidence that
marijuana availability has in any way been reduced. We have not kept
it out of the hands of children, or kept it out of our province or
city. We have not prevented anyone access.

We have, however, elected a government promising legalization, one
that has promised a harm reduction approach to drugs. Is this
prosecution one last cynical action of the losing prohibitionists?

All these cases should be thrown out of court. The police should
concentrate on real crime, not on harassing the sick.

Ken Sailor, Saskatoon
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MAP posted-by: Matt