RE: WAR ON DRUGS

In his recent letter to the Sherwood Park News, John Wittan writes: ".
. . if only we could get politicians and police to end the war on
drugs, legalize everything for adults only, regulate it, tax it, and
leave it for the free market."

Before we take the action Mr. Wittan suggests, I think we should all
consider carefully the following:

. There are very clear health issues involved in regular drug usage,
and equally serious concerns about drug impaired driving;

. Of the 12 U.S. states that have decriminalized possession of small
amounts of marijuana, most have significant penalties for possession,
including the seizure of a repeat offender's driver's licence;

. Under the policy of complete legalization, our trade relationship
with the U.S. would suffer significantly;

. According to medical reports, marijuana grown in Canada today is 500
per cent more potent than that of just a decade ago, leading some to
argue that today's marijuana is not a soft drug; and,

. Legalizing marijuana would seem counter to current provincial and
federal government strategies aimed at actively educating Canadians on
the damaging effects of cigarette smoking.

While I agree with Mr. Wittan's premise that responsible changes must
take place, I am not convinced that any benefits attained from the
total legalization of all drugs would justify the huge societal costs
that would follow such legalization, including the exponential
increase in drug use by young persons and others.

David Kilgour, MP for Edmonton Southeast