GET HEAD OUT OF THE CLOUDS ON MARIJUANA

The Editor;

Re. "Fighting pot growers a waste of resources" (Letters, The Tri-City
News, Aug. 16, 2003).

I read and reread this letter at least half a dozen times, positive that
amidst the gibberish there was a line that read, "Ha ha, just joking."

Failing to find one, I settled on the notion that Mr. Allen Randell was
dead serious in his remarks. "Unjust prosecution of marijuana grow-ops by a
prejudice government"? In the simplest and most courteous manner due such a
comment, I have this to say:

* Marijuana is a drug that generally numbs the mind and senses, and impairs
judgement, therefore it is ruled illegal.

* The private growth of marijuana plants in any stage of life is illegal
throughout all of North America and punishable by fines and imprisonment.

* The Charter of Rights says nothing about an individual's right to break
laws because he/she doesn't agree with them. The phrase "No person shall be
deprived of life, liberty, or freedom" refers to an individual's right to
live free from restraint, confinement and slavery.

So let us assume this means drinking and driving is okay because it's the
individuals right to freedom of choice. Now suppose this person hits and
kills someone. Is the victim now not deprived of his right to live? This is
why, along with the Charter, we have laws to better define it.

Marijuana along with cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and others is a drug and no
drug can be grown and distributed by anybody without a licence, a law
carefully thought up by educated individuals responsible for public safety
and health, not a minority of crybabies who feel their pacifiers have been
rudely yanked from their mouths.

Mr. Randell, in a year's time, I plan to join our "prejudiced" RCMP and
hopefully one day I'll be given the task of sniffing out pot-homes. Every
night I'll sleep well with a good conscience while you and your
"potty-trained buds" will continue to suck on your insecurities, cry
injustice and hate society for its unfair treatment and persecution of its
delinquents.

Perhaps your energy would be better spent serving society rather than
defying it.

Debbie Cook

Coquitlam