MARIJUANA DECRIMINALIZATION WOULD BE A BIG MISTAKE

With the Martin government's decision to reintroduce a bill to
decriminalize marijuana, drug traffickers must be jubilant.

Financing a drug dealer - at least for the purposes of purchasing and
possessing less than 15 grams of pot - will be considered on a par
with driving over the speed limit.

One often hears people say possession of marijuana shouldn't be
illegal. But doesn't this translate into supplying money to marijuana
dealers? Why don't we, then, decriminalize money laundering?

Decriminalization is going to encourage more consumption. Users often
say people will use marijuana no matter what the government does, so
the government might as well decriminalize it. Well, recent polls have
proved them dead wrong. Consumption of marijuana among young users has
more than doubled over the past 10 years.

The reason? Politicians have made it clear they see nothing wrong with
the trafficking of marijuana. From lenient sentences for trafficking
to joking openly about the consumption of marijuana, politicians have
made it acceptable to buy marijuana from drug dealers.

Patrick Labelle

Sherbrooke