LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

Dear Editor:

Re: Killing of the four heroic Mounties in Alberta.

What if marijuana was legal? Would those brave officers still be alive
today? In my opinion the answer is yes.

The murder of the Mounties has opened my eyes to a new light -- that
we have not learned anything from the prohibition of alcohol in the
1920s. Certainly the federal government has not learned anything from
the past. That is why they must act now and decriminalize the use of
marijuana. In fact, marijuana was declared legal for certain use on
July 30, 2001 in Canada, by the Narcotic Control Regulations
Committee. The regulations allowed the use of marijuana by people who
are or have been suffering from serious illnesses and where the use of
marijuana is expected to have some medical benefit that outweighs the
risk of its intoxicating use.

If marijuana was totally decriminalized it would eliminate the need of
an underground subculture. It would also decrease crime on our
streets, and save lives and taxpayers' money.

If we don't act now, who knows what might happen in the future, and
how many more patriotic officers would lose their lives.

Haris Hasanbasic

Mississauga