LEGALIZING MARIJUANA

Unlike Alcohol, Pot Can't Be Used Responsibly

I would like to express my disgust with Senate committee's recommendation
that marijuana be legalized. Nothing good can come from relaxing the law
which currently makes it a criminal offence to possess this drug.

The Senate has assumed the stance that marijuana is "not as harmful as
alcohol." The big difference between alcohol and marijuana is that because
marijuana is smoked, there is no reliable means of measuring the amount of
THC -- the active chemical in marijuana -- introduced into the user and
those who surround him or her.

With no means of measuring this there is no means of controlling it.
Therefore it is impossible to use this drug responsibly in the way alcohol
is used.

If a man drinks three beers, he knows how long he must wait before he can
drive. How long does a person who smokes a joint have to wait? What about a
person who is in the same room? How much second-hand smoke has she been
exposed to?

The difference is that alcohol can be used responsibly, marijuana cannot.

As the Canadian Police Association has stated, the failure to treat
marijuana with the seriousness it deserves, will only serve to benefit
those who seek to profit from the illicit drug trade.

Charles Kirkby, Edmonton