NIGHTMARE SCENARIO

To the editor:

Re: Halifax Among Cities Where Arrests Spike, The Daily News, July 9.

As a federal medical-marijuana licence holder who is also married to
one, I fear nothing in this world more than a Tory majority
government. The Tories have been very clear about this subject. They
believe marijuana is dangerous and that there's no medical use for
it. Period. They also believe people who use or grow marijuana should
face criminal charges - even teens and sick people. They also believe
criminal sanctions are the best way to deter marijuana's use, so they
believe prohibition should remain in place.

Here is the nightmare I envision:

- - After campaigning on a tough-on-drugs policy, the Tories win a
majority government.

- - They announce the closing of the unconstitutional and dysfunctional
Health Canada Medical Marijuana Program. This violates our Charter
rights, but, hey - who can stop them?

- - All 1,770 sick and dying federal medical-marijuana licence holders
are informed their licences are no longer valid. They have no legal
supply at all, and if they grow or possess any marijuana, they may be charged.

- - Police use the new majority government as tacit permission to start
rounding up marijuana dissidents - especially people who hold
protests, write letters, run compassion clubs, own head shops or
criticize the government. Since they have all of our names and
addresses at the Health Canada office, it would be like shooting fish
in a barrel.

- - Large-scale dealers and growers pop corks to celebrate as the
government announces new, tough sentencing laws that punish pot
growers. This scares off thousands of small-time basement growers,
leaving all the business for the gangsters.

- - My epileptic wife has a seizure and dies because she was forced to
use street weed grown by thugs. The pharmaceuticals never worked
anyway, and with no legal or safe supply, it was either street weed or nothing.

This is what keeps me awake at night. With Prime Minster Stephen
Harper slipping in and out of majority territory, I am more terrified
than ever. I pray hard that Canadians will see the Tories for the
clear and present danger they are.

Russell Barth

Ottawa