ROTA, CHIRICO BLOWING SMOKE

Nipissing-Timiskaming Conservative candidate Peter Chirico and Liberal
incumbent Anthony Rota are not well informed about the
decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana. The fact both oppose
proposed federal legislation to fine those caught with 15 grams or
less of the drug, instead of turning them into criminals, indicates
neither is well read on the subject.

The federal government's proposal was to "decriminalize" marijuana,
not advocate or promote its use, or make it legal.

The plan was to stop making criminals out of occasional users, wasting
money in the court and police systems, thereby freeing up resources to
deal with more serious drug problems such as crack cocaine and
designer drugs like ecstacy and crystal meth.

It would also free resources to crush organized crime and running
grow-ops across the country.

The war on the occasional pot smoker was over long ago and the federal
Liberals rightly saw Canada's archaic laws were out of sync with
modern society.

Chirico and Rota just don't get it.

In fact, Chirico stated such legislation was a mistake and more police
should be on the street. There would be more police on the street if
the officer wasn't in court testifying against a father of three who
was found to have a couple of joints in his pocket -- who now may lose
his job because he is a "criminal."

Rota states he wouldn't support his party on the legislation because
local police officers have told him the amounts permitted without a
criminal charge were large enough for wayward teens to bring to school
to sell.

While it's important to teach children healthy lifestyles and to steer
clear of drugs, it has nothing to do with decriminalization.

In fact, existing legislation has done nothing to curb marijuana use
by teens or anybody else. So, why are we making criminals out of our
children and wasting valuable court and police resources? That money
would be better spent on programs such as the police-run Drug
Awareness and Resistance Education (DARE) programs in schools.

Marijuana use does not lead to the use of harder drugs. It is not
addictive and probably less harmful than tobacco or alcohol, both
legal substances from which governments reap huge tax benefits.

Let's get back to reality.