FEDERAL FLEXIBILITY NEEDED ON MARIJUANA

To the Editor,

Re: Citizens rally over federal crime stance, Nov. 26, and Federal
crime bill a step backward, Letters, Nov. 26.

I believe Barbara Kohlman's comment "the public is not as
knowledgeable on the crime bill as it should be" , including those
doing the rallying.

I haven't seen anything in the media that supports scare-mongering
ideas like "sending teens to jail for shoplifting" or "jailing the
mentally ill, addicted or poverty stricken" . Is this speculation or
did I miss a government announcement?

I assume Bill C-10 is available on the government website, but
perhaps newspapers across the country could run it in detail as well.

Because so much in our justice system needs changing, I'd rather see
it done incrementally than with a cumbersome omnibus bill.

The same could apply to an overhaul of our dysfunctional health-care
system, our even more dysfunctional Aboriginal industry, and a few
other Ottawa bureaucracies we can do without.

One judicial area that needs re-thinking is marijuana laws. I totally
agree with Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson and his four predecessors
who have endorsed a coalition calling for an end to marijuana laws in
Canada in order to reduce violent, gang-related crime.

Prohibition didn't work in the past and is still failed policy today.

The revenue from legalization, regulation and taxation of pot would
go far in providing rehabilitation for those addicted to harder and
far more dangerous drugs and education for potential addicts.

It's time our federal government displayed some flexibility.

Jim Corder

Nanaimo