DRUGS DO COST SOCIETY

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