LEGALIZING MARIJUANA PROMOTES SAFE RECREATIONAL USE, NOT DRUG ABUSE

Re: Senators on marijuana, Sept. 5.

For someone to conclude outright that marijuana is bad is not only
outdated, but wrong. No drug is without its consequences. But marijuana's
negative ramifications are dwarfed in comparison to those of nicotine and
alcohol.

The largest problem with marijuana is not the actual drug, but society's
attempts to drive it underground. The social costs of cannabis are found in
our continued desire to put all its users behind bars. The Senate desires
to put an end to this through legalization as well as a re-examination of
the entire way we look at drug use.

Drug abuse is the problem. Legalizing marijuana is the best way to allow
safe recreational use through legal procurement, and minimize abuse.

Drug use will not go away, nor must it. It is only abuse that we must work
to eliminate, and surprisingly, the Senate seems to have hit the nail right
on the head.

Neil MacEachern, Ottawa