HARPER HAS MALICE FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Re:

If the Conservatives win a majority in the federal election, I want
to alert Canadians that this would result in the complete closure of
the medical marijuana program at Health Canada, and my likely death.

Stephen Harper raged against the program when he was in opposition.
His government hasn't managed, staffed or funded the program to give
it a chance to succeed. Harper seems to hate medical marijuana users
because we represent the "foot in the door" toward full legalization,
so he will do everything he can to stop us. But he needs a majority
to do it because he needs to override our Charter Rights in order to
shut the program down.

His government has been trying for years to get a mandatory minimum
sentencing bill passed. Harper thinks marijuana has zero medical
value, and plans to build a dozen new jails to deal with "unreported"
crimes -- meaning pot users, obviously.

With a Harper majority, I fear police will shut down every compassion
club and licensed medical garden this summer, and every
soon-to-be-former-licence-holders -- people with epilepsy, multiple,
cancer, and AIDS -- arrested and charged. If you don't believe me,
just ask any Tory MP or candidate what the Harper Plan for pot users
is, and you get the one world answer: "Jail!" Ask them about medical
marijuana and they will likely say that there is "no such thing."

Medical marijuana in Canada is now officially dead. It is now just a
matter of when, not if. And for people like my wife and I, that means
sickness, arrest, and probable death. When I tell reporters about
this, they roll their eyes. So it is over. I literally do not expect
to live to see 2012, and I have the media to thank for it. They have
failed to convey the full scale of Harper's malice for us.

Russell Barth

Educators For Sensible Drug Policy

Federally Licensed Medical Marijuana User

Nepean, Ont.