ELIMINATE UNDERGROUND SUPPLIERS BY LEGALIZING

RE MP Dan McTeague's Letter of the Day (May 12): I am a resident of
McTeague's riding and would like to impress on him the reason for needing
to change Canada's pot laws. It is because the police in his riding are
arresting and charging youths for carrying as little as 0.1 or 0.2 grams of
marijuana, leaving otherwise law-abiding people with records that can serve
no other purpose than to close doors for a good portion of their lives. As
for the gang and/or organized crime element, Al Capone was a product of
Prohibition. If alcohol had not been made illegal, there would have been no
market for his bootleg booze. The same rules apply today. Eliminate the
need for underground suppliers by legalizing. Who would you rather have for
a neighbour, an occasional pot smoker or a biker gang operating a grow
house? Anyone care to choose?

Adrian Spiering

Ajax

(Legalization would create a whole new set of problems)