ON POT

Regarding Tom Fletcher's July 4 column:

For non-violent offenders with chronic substance abuse problems,
community courts are a cost-effective alternative to
incarceration.

I just hope Canada's community courts aren't misused for political
purposes the way they are here in the U.S.

Record numbers of U.S. citizens arrested for marijuana possession have
been forced into treatment by the criminal justice system. The
resulting distortion of treatment statistics is used by U.S. Drug Czar
John Walters to make the claim that marijuana is "addictive."

Zero tolerance drug laws do not distinguish between occasional use and
chronic abuse. Canada should Just Say No to the American
Inquisition.

Robert Sharpe

Policy Analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, DC