GIVE POTHEADS A BREAK

Dear Editor,

I note our valiant men in red are out again in Salmo busting "grow-ops."
Now, I don't smoke pot, but I know several horrible woebegone creatures who
do. We hear this underground economy talked about in terms of hundreds of
millions, if not billions, of dollars. What is wrong with this scenario?

To start with, we live in a supposed free enterprise, market driven
economy. If there is a demand for a commodity, it will be supplied. My
question then is what business do the police have interfering with an
otherwise straightforward commercial process? Answer: None. I doubt they
nab say ten per cent of these ersatz criminals. And the rest continue on,
merrily supplying and consuming a product which is way less noxious or
toxic than such legal killers as tobacco and alcohol.

The recent so-called changes to the marijuana prohibition laws can be
summarily dismissed as ludicrous. And the blame, the heat, should be
focused squarely on the politicians who are not doing their jobs. Simply
put, pot should be regulated exactly like homemade wine or beer: I'm
allowed to make as much as I wish (and consume or give it away) but I can't
sell it. Period. Let us end this insane persecution, which is the modern
equivalent of witch burning. With such real, serious problems as global
eco-disaster, war, poverty, hunger, and economic injustice, there are much
more pressing matters at hand. Give these potheads a break!

LX Forde,

Nelson, BC