LEGALIZE POT -- A MUCH LESS DAMAGING DRUG THAN ALCOHOL

I would just like to comment on Susan Einarsson's letter in
Thursday's Province.

After working 31 years as a 911 operator/Vancouver police dispatcher,
I very heartily concur with her opinion that marijuana should be
legalized. I would love to see some government money spent on a
survey to capture statistics on what percentage of crimes involve the
perpetrators being fuelled by alcohol -- the "legal" drug.

The amount of grief, harm and permanent damage caused to families and
individuals due to someone's decision to "have a couple of drinks" is
stunning. I am not saying that marijuana is the perfect social drug
either. But it seems that since the majority of people in our culture
are no longer capable of relaxing and enjoying themselves without
some type of stimulant (or depressant, as in alcohol), marijuana
would be the lesser of the two evils. I may be naive in assuming that
Stephen Harper's intent with the new crime bill is to service the
best interests of public safety. Unfortunately, I am of the "old
school" who believe that if you want to know if a politician is
lying, just watch his lips. If they're moving, he's lying.

Linda Hatcher,

Langley