DON'T BLAME US

Re: U.S. Report warns of Canadian marijuana, drug labs, March 15.

Canadians should be incensed that the U.S. government is pointing
fingers at us and other countries as the cause of its drug problems.
The spread of disease, death, violence and organized crime is a
consequence of prohibitionist drug policies that the U.S. government
originally strong-armed other countries into adopting.

And while it unilaterally ignores other international treaties, the
U.S. is quick to bleat when sovereign nations such as Canada attempt
to move beyond prohibitionist policies to saner drug policies to
protect public health and safety. Mandatory minimum sentences for drug
crimes have contributed to the world's largest prison population in
the so-called "land of the free" to the south.

Please, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, show some leadership and don't
be led further down the ideological path of failed drug policies.

Gillian Maxwell,

Vancouver,

Chair, Keeping the Door Open: Dialogues on Drug Use