POT SMOKING ISN'T THE REAL DRUG PROBLEM

It's such a relief that the media attention paid to Da Kine cafe has
led to the cleanup of crack addicts, crystal-meth and heroine users in
the downtown core. What a fantastic show of force the Vancouver police
department put on for the TV cameras when it raided Da Kine last
Thursday. I guess we can all feel safe and secure now.

There has to be some middle ground here. Although marijuana is still
illegal, how much of our property crime (among the worst in North
America), can be attributed to pot smokers? How many violent crimes
have been committed by pot smokers? Let's get our priorities straight.

Make pot legal, tax it and invest the tax dollars on health care, drug
prevention and education for our youth, and law enforcement so we can
tackle the real problems facing our city.

Gary Mitchell,

Vancouver