SHOW LEADERSHIP ON MARIJUANA ISSUE

The grieving mother of Cst. Brock Myrol, one of four RCMP officers brutally
slain in the line of duty during a raid on a marijuana grow-op in central
Alberta, called on the federal government to "take a stand on evil" and
reconsider their "liberal-minded attitude" with respect to marijuana.

As Canadians become increasingly liberal in their attitude to marijuana use
grow-ops are rapidly becoming the new national plague.

Ontario grow-ops, for example, grew 250 per cent between 2000 and 2002 to a
staggering 15,000. The marijuana industry is now estimated to be worth tens
of billions of dollars in Canada and as much as $7 billion per year in
British Columbia.

How can you not call this industry "evil" when B.C. Solicitor general Rich
Coleman, a former RCMP officer says the average grow-op operator has 13
years of criminal experience, six previous convictions, with 41 per cent of
them possessing a violent criminal record?

"Liberal minded" politicians, judges and citizens will go to great lengths
in their defense of decriminalizing marijuana to draw a distinction between
"recreational" use of "small amounts" of marijuana and the "commercial"
grow-op owners.

Tony Cannavino, president of the Canadian Professional Police Association
on a recent CTV Canada AM show stated the obvious. He said the shootings
show the current laws are not a deterrent to grow-ops and that we need
tougher laws.

While politicians and judges continue to blame each other for being "too
soft" federal Liberals are in the middle of a policy convention. What
better time to use some common sense for a change and scrap their frivolous
decriminalizing of marijuana bill.

What better time to show Canadians they are serious about dealing with the
drug epidemic in Canada? What better time to show some leadership?

Gerald R. Hall

Nanoose Bay