WAR ON MARIJUANA STUPID AND SENSELESS

How very sad when brave and noble men lose their lives in a senseless war.
No, I am not talking about Iraq. I am talking about a far more senseless
war. The war on marijuana. In this ridiculously stupid war, we send our
bravest and finest to battle an enemy created by ourselves that should not
exist.

Marijuana is not the reason that four RCMP officers lost their lives last
Thursday. Marijuana prohibition is the reason that mothers lost their sons,
wives lost their husbands and children lost their fathers. Marijuana
prohibition created and supports the criminals who shot them dead. More
good people will continue to die until we realize that we have not outlawed
a drug, we have created an illegal industry that thrives on our blind
ignorance of reality.

To organized crime, marijuana prohibition is like an investor in their
company. It is a licence to print money. In fact, violent crime
organizations stand on the same side as the politicians who oppose
decriminalization.

Clamping down harder on marijuana grow operations and more police raids
will not put these criminals out of business, legalizing marijuana will. We
have the power to end this senseless bloodshed. Will we ever be brave
enough to do it?

Tim Reichert

Vancouver