DECRIMINALIZE POT

Remember alcohol was once illegal and bootleggers made good money smuggling
it.

It is time to revise Canadian legislation and make Tetrahydrocannabinol,
also known as THC and derived from marijuana, not only readily available in
hospitals but also decriminalized with plans for its eventual legalization.
Members of the medical community have been telling us for decades that THC
could be used as a pain suppressant and an effective anti-nausea drug, so
why isn't it available?

Why are we dismissing the argument by people with chronic medical conditions
who tell us that marijuana really helps them? Would we rather see them
interminably attached to a hose pumping heroin and opium derivatives such as
morphia into their veins?

If they tell us that THC can dull their pain, take away their nausea and
still allow them to function, then as a society we would be fool-hearted
puritans to deny them that right.

There is also a strong argument to be made for the decriminalization of
marijuana.

Countless numbers of Canadians are unable to cross the border and have been
pegged as criminals for possession. It is costing the system large
quantities of resources to prosecute these people. Surely those funds could
be better spent elsewhere.

The scaremongers would have us believe that decriminalizing marijuana would
give children tacit approval to use it. Do they really think that if kids
are going to smoke pot, the fact that it's illegal is going to stop them? If
you legalize marijuana you can regulate it, keep proper statistics on its
use, and ensure that it isn't being mixed or sprayed with poison.

Because the infrastructure required to legalize marijuana would be costly,
we should start by seriously considering its decriminalization and use the
funds for worthier causes.

T.d.V.