OUR DRUG LAWS SHOULD BE SOFTENED, NOT TOUGHENED

To the editor:

Justice Minister Anne McLellan says she is prepared to put more money
towards fighting recreational drug use. Her comments were in response to a
report issued by the UN International Narcotics Control Board, that was
highly critical of Canada's so-called lax anti-drug efforts, in particular
regarding cannabis.

The last thing Canada needs is to waste money on American-style drug
interdiction methods that have done absolutely nothing to prevent drug use.
How about spending more money on health care and education?

Prohibition just doesn't work. It didn't prevent alcohol use, and it
certainly won't stop cannabis use. Prohibition actually encourages
criminal activity by encouraging underground markets. Billions of dollars
have been wasted for decades now.

David d'Apollonia
Dartmouth