TREAT TOBACCO THE SAME AS OTHER CASUAL DRUGS

Re: Ontario's tobacco-tax increase simply bolsters the black market, Feb. 3.

Letter-writer Arnold Kimmel is probably right that an increased
Ontario tobacco tax will only encourage a black market for tobacco
products. However, if this is true, he may admit that this is also
true for the sale of illegal drugs sold for recreation or
mind-changing purposes, just like tobacco.

If illegal drugs were made legal and controlled by government, and if
they were not taxed too heavily, then a black market in these drugs
would collapse or be very diminished. This would be beneficial ,in
that crime rates related to these illegal activities would fall and
that the health issues around these drugs could be more openly
addressed and solved.

Tobacco is also a drug, one that causes serious health problems, and
a too-high tax rate could lead to crime. If Mr. Kimmel is concerned
about crime activity developing around tobacco, shouldn't he also be
advocating that other currently illicit drugs be made legal, and
managed and taxed at a reasonable rate through government? Maybe Mr.
Kimmel's real concern, as the CEO of Quickie Convenience Stores, is
more related to profits, or losses.

I realize this is a very thorny topic and I do not even know if I
wish to see illegal drugs legalized. Instead, maybe tobacco should be
made an illegal drug, too.

I do feel there should be some consistency in the arguments made over
all mind-changing and health-harming drugs, including tobacco.

Katharine R. Elliott,

Ottawa