LEGALIZING DRUGS BRINGS NEW PROBLEMS

Many people seem to have bought into the idea that if drugs are
legal, all the drug-related problems will go away. Not so.

If we legalize drugs, our children could successfully argue that
since drugs are legal, then it must be OK to use them. They already
use that argument with alcohol and cigarettes. To date, the fact that
both are legal has not stopped people from using them and becoming
addicted to smoking in all cases and to alcohol in some cases.

Increasing jail terms for Canadian-born dealers and growers is one
solution. Immediate and non-appealable deportation of landed
immigrants or refugees convicted in the drug trade would be another.

Until we make the risks of being a criminal not worth the money that
can be made in the trade of drugs, we will have a problem.

Ana M. Porzecanski,

Victoria.