FEAR FOR SAFETY

Re: Harper best pick for PM, most say, Sept. 3.

If Stephen Harper's Conservatives get a majority, I sincerely fear
for the life of my epileptic wife. Even a minority Conservative
government could seriously affect her health, as she uses medical
marijuana, for which she has a licence from Health Canada.

In the past six years, her health has improved dramatically through
the use of this herb, and her seizures have dropped in both numbers
and ferocity.

The Harper Conservatives railed against this program when they sat in
opposition, and cut medical marijuana research funding when they got
into power. Since then, they have decried the proven merits of
safe-injection sites and harm reduction in general, and have
reaffirmed their commitment to a U.S.-style war on drugs, even though
all evidence suggests that this policy actually increases the
problems it purports to fight, while subsidizing gangsters at home
and terrorism abroad. They promise to jail more people for drug
offences, even offering mandatory minimum prison sentences for
growing a single marijuana plant!

If they do get a majority, they will undoubtedly shut down the whole
Health Canada medical marijuana program, tossing thousands of sick
and dying Canadians back to the street dealers, who sell contaminated
and hyper-priced product. Or maybe, since they have all of our home
addresses on file, the Mounties will likely begin arresting sick
people in droves the day after the program is shut down.

If you think I am being alarmist, just ask any Tory MP or candidate
what they plan to do with the lives of sick and dying people who need
cannabis to survive.

Russell Barth,

Ottawa