CANADA SHOULD DEFY U.S. ON POT

It was with great sadness that I, and many other cannabis-consuming
Americans, learned that decriminalization in Canada would come with some
major strings attached.

As president and founder of the United States Marijuana Party I see every
day the damage that cannabis prohibition has caused in my country. Every
year more than 700,000 people are arrested and jailed for possession alone.
Prohibition has given us the highest incarceration rate in the world,
destroyed peoples lives who were not criminals and turned our once free
country into a police state.

Cannabis prohibition has also caused a sharp increase in hard-drug use.
People who would normally use only cannabis resort to things like meth,
crack and cocaine because they only stay in your system for 72 hours,
thereby minimizing the risk of failing a urine test and losing your
livelihood. The natural non-addictive herb cannabis can be detected for up
to 45 days.

Surely the Canadian government can see what a complete and total failure
the U.S. War on Drugs has been and that it makes no sense to follow in our
footsteps. Do not bow to the American government. You are a sovereign
nation that many Americans look to as a beacon of freedom and hope.

You stuck to your guns about the war in Iraq because you disagreed with
U.S. policy ... why shouldn't you do it for your own people?

Loretta Nall,

President, U.S. Marijuana Party,

Alexander City, Ala.