MARIJUANA MADNESS

To the editor:

It is with great concern that I read the police will treat marijuana
the same as they treat crack cocaine and other harmful drugs.

Most people knew the federal Regressive Conservatives would start the
crackdown soon enough. The first thing they did was cancel medical
research into marijuana, then tell doctors to reduce its potency.
Now, they're going to start putting pot users in jail again, whether
it's for medical or recreational use.

Multiple sclerosis sufferers stop shaking after one toke. The drugs
prescribed by doctors destroy the liver, kidneys and lungs.

Has anyone besides me seen David Suzuki's Reefer Madness? Pot is not
a harmful drug. There are no side-or long-term effects. According to
research it has the same addictive properties as coffee.

Of course, people shouldn't operate machinery or drive under the
influence of marijuana. But they shouldn't do those things while
drinking, either - yet liquor is legal.

I know baby boomers who have been smoking pot daily for 30 years or
more. Guess what: they still have their jobs, raised their kids, put
them through university, own their own home sand are healthy, happy,
productive citizens.

With almost 20 per cent of the population smoking pot, that's a lot
of votes the Regressive Conservatives won't be getting in the next
election. Keeping it illegal just makes organized crime richer and
more powerful.

Jane MacDonald

West Chezzetcook