PROHIBITION CREATES THE GROW OPS

Montreal's hazardous marijuana grow operations are a direct result of
marijuana prohibition.

Legitimate farmers do not steal electricity to grow produce in the
basements of rented homes. If legal, growing marijuana would be less
profitable then farming tomatoes. As it stands, the drug war distorts
market forces so that an easily grown weed is literally worth its
weight in gold.

Rather than continue to subsidize organized crime, Canadian
policymakers should ignore the reefer madness of the U.S. government
and instead look to their own Senate for guidance. In the words of
Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, "Scientific evidence overwhelmingly
indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol
and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and
public health issue."

Robert Sharpe

Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington