ENJOY A TRUE 'HIGH' BY SHUNNING POT AND HELPING OTHER PEOPLE

Re: 'Keep marching, pot crusader says; B.C.'s Emery says protests
must go on despite arrests at Hamilton cafe' (March 10)

I have real difficulty with the position that there is a legitimate
or even sensible reason to legalize or decriminalize marijuana. It is
a drug. Smoked, it pollutes the lungs and the air. And it makes
people less alert to what is going on around them.

I praise our Hamilton Police Service and would really like them to
get rid of the Up in Smoke cafe and any other pot cafe that tries to
open in Hamilton. This type of business certainly does not attract
the kinds of businesses and shops that I would want to visit in
Hamilton. I don't want to be walking down the street smelling pot
smoke wafting through the air. That's not the Hamilton that I want.

At a time when many people are opting to drink less alcohol and quit
smoking tobacco in order to have a healthier lifestyle, it make no
sense to legalize cannabis.

When people drive drunk on alcohol, it can be disastrous. But at
least police have a breathalyser as a tool to assist in keeping drunk
drivers off the road. When a person drives high on pot, there is no
device to do this.

I challenge government to give police the laws and the tools they
need to fight drugs and drug crimes -- including marijuana. If you
think pot can eradicate your problems, you're wrong.

Try helping others and getting involved with your fellow citizens to
make this a better place.

The high you get from that will last a lifetime.

Marsha Duncan, Ancaster