Pubdate: Wed, 22 Feb 2017
Source: Tri-City News (Port Coquitlam, CN BC)
Copyright: 2017 Tri-City News
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/3X3xlf9Y
Website: http://www.tricitynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1239
Author: Brian Wormald

DON'T REPEAT MISTAKES MADE WITH ALCOHOL, TOBACCO

The Editor, Re. "PoCo to ban weed sales?

I will stand 110% behind any move by PoCo council to ban the sale of
recreational marijuana. It's about time one of Tri-City councils
called a stop to this ridiculous legal mess.

Let's look at the facts: Sale of it here is illegal. No business
licences. Looks like a slam-dunk to me - get out of Dodge.

If these recreational use customers are so prevalent to warrant this
type of product, they will follow businesses to whatever Lower
Mainland city will allow you to set up shop but hopefully even they
will see sense and act against this trend.

Enough is enough. I still can't believe the federal government has
made the decision to legitimize recreational marijuana. It astounds
me.

The human race has screwed up big time at least twice by legitimizing
the use of tobacco and alcohol, both of which have cost us untold
gazillions of lives and health care costs.

No one knows the cost to all of us in the long term by taking this
asinine step. With hindsight, would alcohol and tobacco have been
legitimized if the cost to society had been known? I'd like to think
not.

And the worst advocates in all this are the people who are using the
argument that alcohol, tobacco and even fast food are worse than pot.
Do they seriously believe users are simply going to choose which vice
is more to their liking and not use an even more dangerous combination
of, say, pot and alcohol? In the vernacular of a popular TV
advertisement, "Have a word to yourself."

Apart from the legitimate cases of use for medicinal reasons, it
concerns me that the human race has lost all common sense. And even
then, we all know that the pre-requisites for getting medicinal pot
are pretty loose. Not all medical practitioners have the ethics we
would like to see in the community. I have personally sat next to
someone on a bus who quite proudly showed me his medical marijuana
card so he can smoke with impunity.

Don't get me wrong, I know there are legitimate cases for it and
support those under stable, controlled and prescriptive medical conditions.

It's the recreational use that I vehemently oppose. As with tobacco
and alcohol, if you need some pharmaceutical to make you generally
feel good, you have a problem, so get help and deal with it. For me,
the love of my family and friends plus giving back to the community is
all I need to feel great - i.e., life, get out and enjoy it in its
many forms.

There is only one driving force behind legitimizing recreational pot:
money. Governments of all levels want to get in on the cash cow.

To my fellow residents and proud Port Coquitlam councillors, "no" is
the only answer to the sale of recreational pot.

Brian Wormald,

Port Coquitlam
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