WAR ON DRUGS HAS FAILED

Grow-ops are a "plague" in Canada because so many Canadians and Americans,
who are mostly law-abiding except for their drug use, want marijuana ("We
must curb this social plague," March 9).

We have been fighting the war on drugs for about 40 years in North America.
Back in the late '60s, the B.C. Court of Appeal increased the prison
sentence imposed on an SFU student who had no prior criminal history to
three years for possession of two joints. The judge wanted to send a clear
message that drug use would not be tolerated.

Since then, Canada has, as the editorial writer points out, become more
lenient, while the U.S. has filled its prisons to overflowing with a range
of users, from a few members of organized crime to those whose only crime
is to disagree with the laws on marijuana use. But whether we look at some
U.S. states, where minor trafficking can lead to life imprisonment, or at
home where the same offence would lead to probation, marijuana use
continues to flourish.

The Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu said over 2,000 years ago: "there is no
instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare." The
evidence is clear -- getting tough didn't work in the past and is not
working now. It's time to look at other ways to manage marijuana use to
better protect our community's health.

Tony Sheridan,

Victoria.