WHY DOESN'T MCLELLAN LEARN THAT PROHIBITION NEVER WORKS?

A very hearty congratulations to Dan Gardner on his nomination for
the Michener Award. Perhaps our politicians will give his series on
"Losing the War on Drugs" a second read, even Justice Minister Anne
McLellan.

His March 20 column, "This is your government on drugs," assuaged
this reader who did not think the tone of his Feb. 28 article, "U.S.
says jump, we say how high?," helped Mr. Gardner's case. The last one
did a much better job.

Ms. McLellan's approach is not balanced and I think Mr. Gardner's
anger and disgust are quite reasonable. Ms. McLellan's "facts" were
unbelievable, as Mr. Gardner's rebuttal made so clear.

Perhaps Ms. McLellan could declare victory in the war and start a
Marshall Plan or a McLellan Plan to allocate resources to rebuild the
societies and the lives devastated by the war. It's not a new idea
but it's better than anything the Liberal government or the Loyal
Opposition have suggested.

Someone should get across what people in the addiction field have
known for years: We cannot control another person's use of
mood-altering substances. We can hold them responsible for their
behavior when they use the substances as we do with drunk drivers.

History teaches the lesson over and over again: Prohibition has never
worked, regardless of the draconian measures used to try to enforce
it. Mr. Gardner knows, so why doesn't Ms. McLellan? Usually I agree
with Ms. McLellan, but "balanced" -- she's not even close.

Keep up the good work, Mr. Gardner.

Harvey Davey,

Ottawa