LEGALIZING MARIJUANA DEFIES LOGIC

Re: Rock 'open' to legal marijuana, Aug. 3.

Federal cabinet ministers must be looking for free advertising by making
outlandish policy statements to the news media.

Health Minister Allan Rock's call for a full discussion on the legalization
of marijuana flies in the face of logic. Permissiveness of drug use in the
U.S. in the 1970s saw 25 million people, or 14 per cent of the population,
using drugs each month. In 1998, the get-tough policy in the U.S. reduced
the figure to 13.6 million, or six per cent of the population.

Meanwhile, relaxed policies increased drug use in the Netherlands from two
per cent of 12- to 18-year-olds in 1992 to 11 per cent in 1996.

At least Mr. Rock had the sense to downplay that his department funded a
sadoma-sochism workshop in Barrie last February.

Peter Bradley,

Ottawa