TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT DRUG USE

The Free Press did a good job of explaining some of the facts of life in
its Marijuana law reform editorial (May 28). The editorial ought to have
made clear to readers the ramifications of doubling the penalties for "evil
miscreants" like drug pushers and dealers.

Putting the mom and pop operators out of business will leave consumers to
the mercies of enterprising ruffians. This strategy will result in society
having nothing but hardened criminals in charge of the distribution of
high-demand products. Canadians will become a more battle-hardened
citizenry as the body count of the ruffians and innocents mount.

All this to serve the interests of prohibitionists in their attempt to
achieve a thousand-year sin-free world in order to facilitate the Second
Coming.

There are in fact three separate interests in the drug war. The moralists,
medicalizers and liberty lovers are all at metaphorical war. All vie for
political power to add coercive force to lend legitimacy to their political
ideologies.

Justice Minister Martin Cauchon is right. The drug war is, inter alia,
about "what we tell kids about life." The drug prohibitionists tell them
one set of lies, for example, that marijuana is dangerous, but Ritalin is
not. The drug medicalizers tell them another set of lies, for example, that
using an illegal drug is a disease like diabetes and that being imprisoned
by psychiatrists is "treatment" like injecting oneself with insulin.

Anyone for telling kids -- and adults, too -- the truth?

CHRIS BUORS