POT PROPOSAL ANYTHING BUT FLAT

Editor, The Star:

Re: "Pot law proposal falls flat here", The Star, June 5:

In the above article, several individuals are uncritically quoted who make
unsupported or debunked claims about cannabis or cannabis decriminalization.

MP Chuck Strahl criticizes the proposed law on the grounds that decreasing
punishments for adults will encourage children to use marijuana. This is
both unsupported and irrelevant. First, making marijuana less taboo might
have the effect of decreasing the mystique about cannabis for teenagers
looking for ways to rebel. Secondly, punishing adults to set an example for
children is hardly sound policy -- we don't want children driving cars, but
throwing adults in jail for driving would hardly be a solution; we don't
want children voting, but citing adults for voting would be absurd; lastly,
and most telling, we don't want children drinking, but prohibiting alcohol
for adults would be quite plainly absurd and counterproductive.

JOHN MCINTOSH,

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