TOUGHER DRUG LAWS MAY BE COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE

Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox & Addington MP Scott Reid should be ashamed of
himself. The last piece of taxpayer-funded literature sent to his
constituents asks whether we want tougher drug laws. The inference is
that with tougher laws, we will have fewer pushers trying to entice
our children into using drugs.

Sounds like a good way to get elected to me. This nefarious strategy
worked on the ignorant voters in New York State when Gov. Rockefeller
used it on them in the 1940s. Unfortunately, the tougher laws proved
to be counter-productive and they were later rescinded.

So why are the Conservatives trying to make similar mistakes? They may
be counting on the voters to be as easily taken in as the New York
voters were 69 years ago. I hope today's Canadian voters are a lot
smarter than that.

Hugh Jenney Stella