PRINCE OF POT DEFENDS MARIJUANA'S BENEFITS

Regarding Rory Leishman's column Ontario should continue to fight
menace of marijuana (June 27).

Alcohol and tobacco are health hazards, but users, sellers and
producers of these products do not go to jail. In fact, the chief
executives of these firms earn huge salaries from their death dealing.

Marijuana is non-toxic, there are no deaths from marijuana. It has
benefits in treating multiple sclerosis, cancer and chemotherapy,
AIDS, Alzheimer's.

Whatever health hazards are involved in any substance or activity, it
doesn't justify sending someone to jail because authorities have
determined the consumption of it is a health hazard.

Why do we allow the unfettered distribution of water in Walkerton or
Maple Leaf meats in Canada? They have killed more in the last decade
than marijuana has in a century.

Leishman failed to provide rational reasons for a social policy of
jailing Canadians for peaceful and honest cannabis use.

All prohibitions are morally indefensible and are always
counter-productive. Any prohibition of drugs, guns, sexual behaviour,
abortion, foods, beverages and words is always unsuccessful except in
appeasing the sanctimonious in society.

Prohibitions manufacture crime, gang violence, black markets, tax
evasion, dishonesty (from the government and the black marketeers),
civil rights abuses, evaporation of our constitutional rights and a
surveillance society where police power is always ascendant.

Marc Emery

Vancouver