LOBBYIST DESCRIBES THE WAY LEGALIZED MARIJAUANA SALES WOULD WORK

In the wake of the RCMP massacre, there have been calls for stiffer
penalties and mandatory minimum sentences for cannabis growers.

For those of you still unclear on exactly how regulated cannabis production
and sales would work, and how it would eliminate the dangers, let me
explain. First, we let people grow at home but only on condition that they
have the system inspected by an electrician and safety inspectors and so
on, and they must be insurable. It is possible to grow tomatoes and
daffodils indoors, and it is also possible to grow cannabis safely in a
home, as has been shown in a book by federally licensed medical marijuana
growers Eric Nash and Wendy Little called Sell Marijuana Legally. We could
restrict wattage per person so people won't try turning a whole
three-bedroom house into a 20,000-watt grow facility. These home-growers
would be under the same sales and sharing practices as the home wine and
beer models. Next, we license commercial growers. They would have to
account for every gram and there would be quality and controls.

These products would then be distributed to adults with a valid ID through
compassion clubs, "coffee shops," beer and liquor stores and similar
outlets. This would be huge competition forgangs because who in their right
mind would buy crappy weed from a creepy dealer when quality controlled bud
is available in a cafe or beer store?

With a legitimate market established, the police will find it easier to
differentiate between the gangs who grow for export, and the commercial
growers who grow for the domestic market. They will have more money, time,
and resources to stop real criminals. We could then also afford to increase
border control and add financing to our military and coast guards. The rest
goes into education to reduce the numbers of teen pot users, and to health
care to offset any health problems that may arise.

This system would generate $3 billion in tax revenue, help keep cannabis
out of the reach of children, reduce harm by implementing quality controls
and reduce the black market. Police would have the same powers they do now
with alcohol.

The other option is the costly policy of building more courts, more jails,
and increasing police budgets. This not only generates no income, there is
no evidence to suggest it deters criminals or reduces the number of people
growing or using cannabis. All evidence suggests that increasing penalties
and implementing mandatory minimum sentences only increase criminal
competition and violence.

Mandatory minimum sentences have failed in the U.S. where they have the
largest cannabis market and production in the world, along with the largest
prison population in the history of the world. Anyone who endorses
increasing prohibition is endorsing a system that costs taxpayers a
fortune, endangers Canadians (especially kids and police officers),
subsidizes organized crime to the tune of over $10 billion tax-free every
year, has no end in sight, and where cannabis is easier for kids to get
than alcohol or tobacco. Just which part of this simple logic is so hard
for people to understand?

Russell Barth

Educators For Sensible Drug Policy

Ottawa, Ont.