PROHIBITION INEFFECTIVE

RCMP Cpl. Scott Hilderley either misunderstands or deliberately
mischaracterized the case for legally regulating cannabis. ("Don't let
evil triumph," Letters, Jan 18).

No one is suggesting we give up on trying to prevent minors from

consuming cannabis. We haven't abandoned our efforts to prevent young
people from smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol, and in fact we have
done remarkably well in that regard. Teens today are more likely to
have tried cannabis than tobacco, and they consistently report that
cannabis is easier to obtain than beer.

Adults who are interested in obtaining cannabis, for medicinal
purposes, would be well-advised to approach an adolescent relative or
acquaintance.Cpl. Hilderley tells us that he knows for a fact that the
war on cannabis is working because many young people in Sooke choose
to abstain. According to the Supreme Court of Canada, cannabis usage
rates rise and fall with no statistical relationship to cannabis laws
and their enforcement.

Not only is cannabis prohibition an ineffectual waste of criminal
justice resources, it makes education, prevention, treatment and harm
reduction much more difficult, if not impossible. Drug prohibitions
drive a wedge between parents and their children, teachers and
students, doctors and patients, and the police and their communities.

We have abdicated control to criminals, many quite young, who sell all
sorts of tax-free drugs of unknown provenance, purity and potency, on
commission, to anyone of any age, anytime, anywhere, no questions
asked. We have more control over cat food than we do the so-called
"controlled drugs and substances."

Cpl. Hilderley should check out Law Enforcement Against Prohibition,
(http://leap.cc/), an international group of current and former
judges, prosecutors and police officers who have learned the hard way
that, as evil as drug abuse can be, the war on drugs causes far more
harm than it could possibly prevent.

Matthew M. Elrod

Metchosin