CRIMINAL PROHIBITION MAKES CANNABIS WORTH FIGHTING FOR

In attempting to blame cannabis consumers for black market violence
("Violence follows industry, cops warn," March 9), RCMP Cpl. Peter
DeVries came tantalizingly close to understanding the problem.

DeVries remarked "because of its monetary value as a commodity,
marijuana is inextricably tied to serious acts of violence."

Indeed, criminal prohibition makes the "street value" of cannabis
worth fighting for. Additionally, black marketeers have no recourse to
the law, and must settle their own disputes. Starbucks employees are
not found left for dead by Tim Hortons employees.

We do not know what percentage of cannabis cultivators and merchants
are violent criminals, because the market is unregulated, but a survey
of Canadian prisoners serving time for high-level cultivation and
trafficking found that about 70 per cent were otherwise
law-abiding.

Just as alcohol consumers supported Al Capone, and cocaine consumers
supported Pablo Escobar, if you buy cannabis (rather than grow your
own) and you do not know its origins, then you might be supporting
violent criminals. If you still support cannabis prohibition, then you
most certainly are.

Matthew Elrod

Victoria