POT SHOTS

Readers Are Fuming About Proposed Marijuana Legislation

The decriminalization bill now before the House of Commons is
nothing short of Orwellian double-speak and does more to criminalize and
encourage criminal activity around marijuana.

The 15-gram marker is tantamount to easing prohibition by saying it is all
right to have half a bottle of liquor, but not all right to have a full bottle.

There are several reasons Canadians have been encouraging their
elected officials to decriminalize pot. Drug addiction and abuse is
clearly a medical problem, not a criminal one. Draconian laws such as
those in the U.S. are obviously ineffective. Pot is plentiful in this
country and is viewed as less socially repugnant than getting drunk in
public. Most Canadians don't view marijuana possession as a good
reason to be saddled with a criminal record.

After all the ballyhoo preceding this bill's introduction, Canadians
were expecting a solid law that brought real change. What we are
getting instead is simply a rewording of existing laws.

The introduction of this bill is simply a waste of taxpayers' time and
money because it will change nothing. The only person who benefits will
be the guy caught having a toke outside the bar. In this country, he's more
often told to simply "put it out" anyway.

Why would the federal Liberals take such a useless tack over this
issue? I can think of only one reason: The Americans made them do it.

Will Webster

Kaslo