In the letter, Marijuana messes with people's minds (Sept. 8.), Peter
King suggests that legalizing cannabis would bring havoc to Canadian
youth.

Unfortunately, he appears not to have read Ontario Court Justice John
McCart's recent decision that demonstrates our current "war on drugs"
approach has directly led to increased youth consumption. He writes
that "in Holland, where marijuana is openly sold to adults, current
use by high school students in the Netherlands is much lower than use
in the United States (5.4 per cent versus 29 per cent respectively)."

Instead of blasting Morris Dalla Costa, it's King who needs to wake
up. This is the '90s, and we've learned that the Just Say No campaigns
of the '80s were a dismal failure.

Recently, Perry Kendall, director of the Addiction Research
Foundation, said that education "should address issues of less harmful
or responsible use" of marijuana.

"We should recognize that a substantial proportion of kids are going
to experiment and, in that case, I think we should recognize our
obligation to see that this doesn't lead them into danger."
No one wants to see children smoking marijuana. What I am proposing
instead is a system of legal, regulated cannabis with age limits,
quality controls, taxation and restrictions on driving while under the
influence.

Most cannabis users are responsible adults who smoke pot
occasionally; let's stop treating them like criminals.

Chris Clay
London