BACKWARD STEP

RE "Letters to the Editor," by Troy Dexter (May 31): I respectfully suggest
Canadians look at the U.S. before they get energized about
decriminalization. New York decriminalized cannabis in the mid-'70s, along
with dozen of other states. If anything, it made law enforcers more
aggressive, so aggressive that the sight of a cop makes you grit your
teeth. They'll slam you against a wall and charge you with possession over
the residue in a pipe or on a clip. A broken tail-light is probable cause
for a search. The cops don't go after big dealers, because it would put
them out of work.

Mr. Dexter referred to the Senate report last September as if it was an
open-and-closed case for legalization. There have been 24 other reports
supporting legalization dating back to 1894 (the Canadian report was No.
25). The U.S. government has ignored every one. The U.S. drug strategy has
been revamped, revamped, and revamped.

The only accomplishment: Hundreds of billions of tax dollars wasted on
propaganda campaigns. Billions spent on DARE, Here's Looking At You 2000,
McGruff's Drug Prevention, and Child Protection, which haven't shown the
kind of results that schools should expect, despite years of use. (Health
Education Research, August 2002).

Canada's first decriminalization step may in fact be like the United
States'! Backward!

Larry Seguin

Lisbon, N.Y.

(Maybe, but we wouldn't rush to compare a change in federal laws with one
at the state level)