A TONGUE-IN-CHEEK LOOK AT MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION

Editor:

This is my response to the recent news story about the Senate wanting
to legalize or decriminalize marijuana and the fuss raised by the few
people still clinging to the belief that it's reefer madness leading
to heroin use.

It shouldn't be legalized or decriminalized until:

* You can convince millions of Canadian men, women and teenagers that
they absolutely need it as part of their daily activities like the
other drugs they take when they play bingo, go to the casino, bars,
etc.

* You can name a deadly disease after it like alcoholism.

* You can prove that it causes something fun like lung cancer or
emphysema.

* You can prove it directly affects society, causing domestic abuse,
child abuse, crime and public drunkenness.

* You can prove it directly causes effects like secondhand smoke's
links to lung cancer.

* You can prove it has a direct cause to most highway fatalities and
injuries.

* You can prove it has a direct link to the cause of house
fires.

* You can prove it will cost society millions of dollars in treatment
centres where the marijuanaholics would go to dry out.

* You can prove it will cause society to regulate public places that
are then marijuana-smoke-free.

* You can be sure it will cost society huge sums in health care and
the government is able to make huge profits by taxing an industry
producing and distributing it.

* You can be sure the big companies producing it are able to hook
young people into becoming addicted.

* You can prove that a secondary industry will pop up that will then
make a fortune in showing people how to kick the habit.

* You can prove that it causes lousy hangovers and morning
cough.

* You can prove that first-time users will become throw-up sick and
then brag to their friends how wasted they got..

* You can prove beyond all doubt that marijuana is addictive like
tobacco and alcohol, thereby assuring future profits for the drug
growers while they get subsidies from provincial and federal
governments to stay in business..

Ha, all this fuss over marijuana while ignoring/condoning and using
the already legal drug businesses like tobacco and alcohol.

Can you say hypocritical?

I thought you could.

Dan Germain

Lethbridge