DECRIMINALIZE POT

Regarding the Dec. 19 letter by Erika Kubassek, Discourage Use Of Pot, it's
clear that most Canadians believe the decriminalization of marijuana will
do our society much more good than harm.

Pot has been proven to be healthier than both alcohol and tobacco, so it's
quite odd that they remain legal and marijuana doesn't. Tobacco's
addictiveness often leads to major health problems.

Marijuana, on the other hand, is not physically addictive and no physical
withdrawal symptoms occur when its use is discontinued. Death from overdose
is impossible with marijuana. It's just a plant; it can't be compared to
actual drugs like heroin or cocaine.

It's been estimated that decriminalization would save $1.5 billion in
enforcement and prosecution costs. If police don't have to waste time
hunting down a kid with a joint, they can concentrate on busting the
grow-houses and traffickers, or on finding murderers or rapists.

Kids often get busted for having a bit of pot, and then, because they have
a criminal record, they can't qualify for most jobs, so they move on to
real crimes. This pattern must be stopped, and decriminalization will do
just that.

Mark Johnson

Elmira