NO SENSE TO LETTING CRIMINALS CONTROL EVIL

Re: 'Canada's pot conundrum' (Daily News, Jan. 5)

Paul Walton's column breezily calls marijuana legalization "plainly
stupid." In reality, legalization is plainly the only idea that makes
any sense.

Whether the drug is alcohol or marijuana, prohibiting it does nothing
to stop anyone from using it. The only people who benefit from
prohibition are criminals, who get a monopoly.

Walton tries to justify prohibition by saying that "the experience
with alcohol since the end of prohibition has been a dismal one." OK, I agree.

But was the experience with alcohol during prohibition better?
Obviously not. During alcohol prohibition, in addition to all the
problems which Walton lists, gangs murdered each other and bystanders
to control the market; drinkers died because of methanol and
antifreeze in their booze; police were bribed and corrupted; and
children were used as dealers.

If this sounds familiar, it should. Drug prohibition is producing the
same results today.

Walton expresses the true idiocy of prohibition very clearly when he
says that pot is not "a great evil that we should allow to be
controlled by criminals."

He correctly sees that if something is prohibited, then it will be
controlled by criminals. But think for a minute: If something
actually is a great evil, is that a reason for giving it to criminals
to manage?

Call me crazy if you like, but those are the last people that I want
to see in control of "evil" substances.

Steve Finlay

Burnaby