WE NEED REAL POT REFORM

Maybe with a Liberal-NDP coalition in this minority government, we can
finally get some serious marijuana-law reform in this country. Members
of the Bloc Quebecois would likely help, too.

The NDP could force the Liberals to revamp their ridiculous
decriminalization legislation which is actually alternative-punishment
legislation. We would get a sensible drug policy, not just more of the
same with a different name.

This is a tremendous opportunity for Canada to stop spending nearly $2
billion a year on a completely failed drug policy.

We can stop clogging our courts with tens of thousands of drug cases
every year. We can use our jails for real criminals like child-porn
peddlers, rapists and killers instead of pot-smokers.

We can get our police to fight actual criminals instead of gardeners
growing marijuana. Through legalization, we would generate $2 billion
a year in tax revenue in an environment of regulation. We could settle
the medical-marijuana issue once and for all so Canada's 400,000
medical users will no longer have to live in fear and danger, or jump
through hoops for ridiculous "licences" under the Medical Marijuana
Access Regulations (MMAR).

One little piece of legislation, and we suddenly take billions of
dollars away from organized crime and put it into health care,
education, affordable housing and our military. Whether one is a pot
user or not, marijuana legalization is the only sensible policy.

Russell Barth

Ottawa