DOPEY LAWS NEED LOOKING AT

Politicians' best intentions often fail to produce any substantial benefits
for the general population.

The drug war may be one example of this.

The current drug laws may be benefiting dope growers more than anyone else.

Drug laws were enacted to reduce the public health risks associated with
drug abuse. Given that drug use has not been reduced, it seems that the
well-intentioned laws haven't produced any substantial benefits.

The public health risks have been exacerbated, however, by eliminating all
regulations on drug potency, purity and toxicity.

Moreover, just as gangs fought over the alcohol market in Al Capone's time,
much of the gang violence is currently related to the drug business.

If drug laws are not discouraging people from using dope, we should
probably look at what these laws are doing.

They are enabling a small group of criminally minded individuals to have an
extremely lucrative monopoly in the dope industry.

The laws are enabling dope growers to sell their crops tax free at
hyper-inflated prices.

The laws are also motivating growers to heavily arm themselves against both
the police and rival drug dealers. It is probably much less expensive for
dope growers to deal with the police than with the taxman.

There isn't anything inherently criminal in smoking marijuana. It isn't
worse than sniffing glue, diesel or paint thinner.

Moderate drug use probably isn't even worse for your health than being 50
pounds overweight.

Heart disease -- not drug use -- all is by far the biggest killer in this
country.

Many people worry that by legalizing marijuana, Canadians would be giving
their children the message that smoking dope is a worthwhile, socially
acceptable thing to do.

It doesn't have to be like that. Legalized drugs could be treated just like
tobacco products.

Even though tobacco is legal in Canada, Health Canada has been very
successful at reducing smoking by its packaging laws and education campaigns.

Canadians are giving the message that using tobacco is a very unhealthy,
socially unacceptable thing to do.

Similar packaging laws and education campaigns could be directed at
reducing drug use.

If people are still foolish enough to abuse drugs, heavy taxes would at
least partially offset the costs of treating lung cancer and other drug
related diseases.

I heard that Health Canada was even thinking of suing the tobacco companies
for all the suffering they cause.

We could also sue the dope companies if they weren't underground and too
hard to find.

Think about it.

Graham Gerry, Quesnel