SANCTIONS DON'T WORK

Dear Editor:

Some people just don't get it. Complaining that BC letter writers are
"drug promoters" won't solve the issue, so let me lend a voice from
outside BC that calls into question the entire fight against marijuana
in particular and drugs in general.

The drugs caught by police represent a drop in the bucket of the
product out there. The reason that drug dealers get to live like
kings, tax free, and the reason why 12 year olds are getting stoned at
recess is because gangsters control the drug industry. Do we see gang
wars opening up over legal drugs like alcohol and pharmaceuticals? No.
Why? Because those substances are regulated and controlled.

The undercurrent of this editorial is that of trying to impose a moral
sanction against drug use. History and science have clearly shown that
this does not work. All these busts have done is actually enrich other
dealers and gangsters who have already filled the vacuum and they
probably have already increased the price of the product because risk
has increased.

Tim Meehan

Ottawa, ON