NEW USE FOR FAMILY FARMS

Re: "Useful tool on the war on drugs" (Editorial, Aug. 2).

When the police's new front line of defence amounts to relying on
snitches and property searches without warrants - in other words,
fishing expeditions - you know the war on drugs is over and the
criminals have won.

Gang-controlled marijuana is more abundant, of better quality and
cheaper than ever before. Instead of giving small farms $550 million
in handouts because they can't compete with large factory farms
("Family farms cost us all too much," Editorial Aug. 2), let only
farms up to a certain size grow legal marijuana to sell in the liquor
stores.

That would deal a blow to organized crime, make pot sales to minors
more difficult, generate millions of tax dollars and free up precious
police resources to combat real crimes.

Bill Parker,

Val des Lacs