JUST SAY YES

Brian Bergman warned that Canada's ability to adopt a new marijuana policy
that would improve public safety and health is constrained by the potential
reaction of the United States. This fear is seriously exaggerated. Don't
forget that the Republicans and Democrats here united to adopt NAFTA over
the strong objections of our labour unions. Here the NAFTA debate was about
opening up our borders to trade with Mexico. The entire debate took place
against the unacknowledged backdrop of the U.S.-Mexico border being the
principal point of entry of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamines. The
likelihood that the U.S. would seriously damage vital economic interests
with Canada when both of our economies are hurting simply because Canada
exposed America's profound hypocrisy around marijuana is extremely low.

- -- Eric E. Sterling, Silver Spring, Md.