WE'RE WASTING RESOURCES FIGHTING THE WAR ON DRUGS

The Editor:

Re: 'Legalization of drugs is no solution to growing problem,' Times
Letters, May 13.

Alcohol and tobacco are already legalized and regulated and these
drugs cause more sickness and deaths than all the illegal drugs put
together.

So maybe we should just prohibit alcohol and tobacco from our
society.

Oh wait, we tried alcohol prohibition and it didn't work. In fact, it
created a more violent society and gave birth to the notion of
organized crime.

Why haven't cigarettes been banned? Because prohibition doesn't work.
It creates a black market that is beyond government control.

The increased resources that are handed to police agencies every year
do not fund murder and robbery investigations. A whopping 60 per cent
of all police budgets are spent on investigating crimes having to do
with the cannabis plant.

If you think using cannabis is a serious crime, you are a victim of
fear-mongering by our government and police and media.

Please do yourself a little research on cannabis. Find out what it is
and what is does for those of us who use it medicinally.

Cannabis is the safest medicine you can take for many ailments,
including arthritis, MS and glaucoma.

It can alleviate side-effects of other prescribed medications and does
very nicely at quelling nausea.

Caring adults, some politicians, senators and community leaders are
calling for the legalization of marijuana because they have seen the
overwhelming research and history to prove ending prohibition is the
only way to safer, healthier communities.

Prohibition is what needs to be banned here.

Marijuana needs to be legalized.

Carol Gwilt

Abbotsford