U.S. WON'T STAND FOR LEGAL POT IN CANADA

Editor, The News:

Letter writer Russell Barth ('Harsher war on pot disservice to
officers,' March 5) would have us believe that legalizing cannabis
would make its illegal cultivation a thing of the past. It is
estimated that 50 per cent of B.C. production goes to the U.S. and its
value has been put as high as $3.8 billion (US). Does he honestly
believe that organized crime is going to voluntarily give up that kind
of money?

There is no way the U.S. would stand for legally cultivated marijuana
being imported into their country.

The illegal cultivation of cannabis in B.C. will always be a problem
as long as it is illegal in the U.S. and the penalties for growing it
are so much lighter in Canada.

It is just too lucrative. The question is: Are we satisfied with
continuing to put up with the damage these operations do to our
communities, or are we prepared to try and give the politicians and
judicial system the direction to actually do something about it?

Nickolas Small

Abbotsford