FRONT LINE POT WARRIORS MERIT NUREMBURG DEFENCE

Editor,

Re: 'Police not to blame for war on weed,' Jan 8.

I agree with your guest commentator Edward Hill that the police
"shouldn't have to bear the brunt of an entirely preventable 80-year
political fiasco," the "war on weed".

Many prison guards, police officers and judges have criticized the
"war on drugs". Some have even formed a group of current and former
members of law enforcement who support drug regulation rather than
prohibition: Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (http://leap.cc/).

However, Canadian police associations and officials have historically
opposed even modest cannabis law reforms. In fact, they have actively
campaigned for more manpower, larger budgets, increased powers of
search and seizure, asset forfeiture and longer prison sentences.

I agree that front line weed warriors merit the Nuremberg defence.
They are simply enforcing the law, but perhaps politicians would "find
a spine and make drug laws sensible" sooner if police associations and
officials got behind them.

Matthew M. Elrod,

Victoria