SMOKE SHOPS

I have been reading about Da Kine, a coffee shop in Vancouver which has
been selling cannabis over the counter for more than four months. I think
it is wonderful, and hope to see shops like these in every city and town in
Canada.

It can't happen under the Liberals' phoney "decriminalization" bill, though.

The fact that Da Kine can exist in Vancouver, and crime and hard drug
activities actually decrease in the area, added to the fact that for more
than 30 years the same thing has been occurring in Amsterdam just proves
that prohibition is a colossal failure.

Looking at statistics worldwide, it would almost lead one to believe that
prohibition was specifically designed to increase crime and hard drug
activity, not deter it.

Of course, continuing to spend billions on failed policies is old news with
our government. The sponsorship scandal, the gun registry, and prohibition
are just a few examples of more than a decade of mismanagement.

Russell Barth, Ottawa

(Don't plan on sparking up a legal one just yet. Police raided Da Kine on
Friday.)