LEGALIZED POT WON'T SOLVE PROBLEM

Decriminalization and legalization of marijuana are two dumb ideas to which
Canadians should say no.

Legalizing marijuana will not get rid of the black market. We have legal
cigarettes but that hasn't gotten rid of cigarette smuggling.

Legalization will not stop violence. The more people we have on drugs, the
more fighting we will have. We have a major problem with fights in bars
because of alcohol. Police are never called out to fights in fast-food
restaurants. Alcohol is the No. 1 cause of domestic violence. Do we really
want to add another drug to the mix?

The violent gangs that fought one another during prohibition existed before
prohibition. They did not go away after repeal. Joseph Kennedy made his
fortune bootlegging during prohibition.

Legalization will not stop property crime. Cigarettes are legal but there
is a high incidence of theft of cigarettes from stores that sell them.

There is a myth that taxing pot will be a cash cow and will solve all of
the government's money problems. We all know that tobacco taxes, even
before Chretien cut them, did not even start to pay for the treatment of
health problems caused by tobacco.

We are told that selling pot in stores will remove profits from the hands
of organized crime and give it to government. The Americans have a better
way of taking profits out of the hands of organized crime. They seize the
assets of criminals and freeze their bank accounts.

Legalization of marijuana will mean more crime, more police, more health
problems, more medical expenses, and a huge jump in taxes to pay for it all.

Canada does not need legalized marijuana. It needs an elected Senate, an
elected judiciary, and a system of recall.

Del Egan

Medicine Hat