PUT ALCOHOL IN CRIMINAL CODE AND TAKE MARIJUANA OUT OF IT

I have smoked marijuana with members of Parliament, RCMP officers,
teachers, artists, pharmacists, lawyers and many other upstanding
Canadian citizens.

I am asking the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen
Harper to reconsider a portion of its new crime bill and remove
minimum sentencing for marijuana. In fact, legalizing marijuana would
be the best solution if you don't want to make criminals out of nearly
20 per cent of the population.

According to the 2007 World drug Report by the UN Office on Drugs and
Crime, 16.8 per cent of Canadians smoke marijuana. I am one of them. I
am a 55-year-old female, hold a master's degree and teach at a
prestigious technical school. I have raised a family and pay taxes. I
choose marijuana over alcohol as a social complement.

Marijuana hasn't caused a single death, unlike alcohol which can be
linked to many deaths, injuries, violent acts and social problems. If
you base your new law on concern for public safety, then it stands to
reason that the manufacture and possession of alcohol must made be
illegal. If alcohol remains decriminalized, then there is no basis for
marijuana to remain in the Criminal Code, let alone subject Canadians
to prison terms.

Susan Einarsson

Vancouver