PROTECT CHILDREN BY ENDING UNPRODUCTIVE WAR ON DRUGS

The article, Drug house parents face charges (SP, June 5),
illustrates perfectly what a complete disaster our drug policy has
been for families.

In response to the dangers posed by "toxic marijuana grow
operations," Alberta passed legislation that allows removing children
from dangerous situations posed by drugs.

The Drug Endangered Children Act is a Band-Aid. If we are truly
sincere in our desire to protect children from the dangers of a house
full of plants, legalizing marijuana would be the best way to achieve
that goal.

In the same way that ending the prohibition of alcohol put an end to
stills and bootlegging, legalizing marijuana would put an end to grow-ops.

The war on drugs has made it very profitable to grow plants indoors
under heat lamps that waste a lot of electricity. In a legal market,
nobody would choose to grow marijuana indoors. The only way to
eliminate the environmental impact of grow-ops is to legislate them
out of existence.

We claim to care about children and the environment, yet the
government continues the war on drugs. Exaggerating the risks posed
by marijuana grow-ops gives readers what they expect in a story about
drug house parents. But it does not tell the whole story.

There are better ways to save the children.

Tanya Derbowka

Saskatoon