WHAT GUARANTEES ARE THERE THAT POTHEADS WON'T RUN US DOWN?

THE EDITOR:

Re: 'Reefer madness,' Times, Jan. 30.

John Conroy is no hero. Your Jan. 30 article describes devices he used to
have Canada's marijuana laws overturned. For once the Supreme Court decided
that we elect politicians to make laws, not judges.

Pot is a major public health threat. Users suffer from rates of depression
and suicide 400 per cent above normal. Drugged drivers will kill more than
100 B.C. motorists this year, with pot the drug of choice.

Twenty years ago, when THC levels were 25 per cent of today's level, an
Australian doctor reported 45 per cent of fatal crash drivers had impairing
levels of THC in their system.

It is against the law to drive under the influence of drugs, but virtually
impossible to prove impairment in Canada.

Despite the eloquence of a few, users have compromised intellectual ability
and reduced performance. They carry the long-term health risks of tobacco
smokers or worse. If operating vehicles or machinery, they multiply the
risk to the innocent.

I would permit pot smoking, as stupidity should not be illegal, but first
guarantee me the user will never be behind the wheel of a car or equipment.
Next, guarantee I don't have to pay the long-term costs associated to
cancer, emphysema and psychiatric treatment. These are just some of the
effects of a drug that addicts want us to believe is harmless. Give us
those guarantees, then let them live in THC-induced bliss.

Conroy invested a lifetime to change the law, apparently without regard to
the social consequences.

David M. Greenhalgh,

Abbotsford