POT LAW NEEDS WEEDING

The Editor,

Re: "Pot law takes aim at growers," the News, Nov. 30.

I think John Cummins is sorely mistaken if he believes there is a lot
of public support for the Conservatives' recent initiatives regarding
minimum sentencing, particularly where pot is concerned.

It stands to reason that if the profit is so high to not only outweigh
the risk of growing pot, but also the risk of serious weapons
offences, it is because a lot of people are smoking it. It also seems
to me that these profits would be better served in the public funds
than in the pockets of global organized crime groups.

I would guess that most of the casual pot smokers in this province or
country would rather not be supporting organized crime but don't want
to face the risk of growing it themselves -- probably because a lot of
them are law abiding, job holding, productive members of society.

I think it's a huge waste of time, money and other resources to fight
pot, of all things, and the more I learn maybe even other drugs too.

If this government actually expects the public to believe they want to
crack down on drugs, especially speed, ecstasy and other hard drugs,
the first thing they need to do in reinstate the port police since
that's where most of the truly dangerous drugs are coming in from.

Any suggestion, other than stopping the flow at it's source, is
scarcely more than an attempt to distract from the real problem, and
the only potential solution.

The stiffer the penalties are, the bigger the pay-off will be, and the
more risks people will be willing to take to grow and import drugs.

KE Byrnes,
Vancouver, BC