WAR IN MARIJUANA A WASTED EFFORT

Re: Police beat growers to Belmont pot plants , September 17

To the editor,

Cpl. Addie MacCallum states that marijuana seizures are "an ongoing
project that happens every year."

But, what difference will it make?

Last year's RCMP harvest didn't stop this year's crop and this year's
RCMP harvest won't stop next year's crop.

The recent outdoor marijuana "eradication" efforts by police are
glaring examples of the futility of prohibition.

Law enforcement efforts are not "stemming the tide" (or "taking a bite
out") of drugs, nor will they ever do so. It is all just an expensive
show at taxpayer expense to give the public the illusion that
something is being accomplished.

Why aren't journalists asking important questions,
like:

1) Is there evidence that these eradication efforts actually reduce
the availability of marijuana on the street?

2) What percentage of the outdoor crops are police able to
destroy?

3) How much do these annual eradication efforts cost? (diverted police
resources, overtime pay, helicopter use and fuel)

Taxpayers have a right to know the answers to these
questions.

This futile and expensive ritual will continue, year after year, until
we finally come to our senses and end cannabis prohibition.

Every major study on the cannabis issue has come to the same key conclusion
as the 2002 Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs:

"The continued prohibition of cannabis jeopardizes the health and well-being
of Canadians much more than does the substance itself." (Cannabis: Our
Position for a Canadian Public Policy, 2002 - www.SenateReport.ca )

Every day that we delay the end of this corrupting, harmful policy the
deeper the tentacles of organized crime infiltrate into our
communities!

Ending cannabis prohibition is definitely in Canada's best
interest.

Herb Couch

Nelson, B.C.