SMOKE SIGNALS

Calgary -- I do not agree with legalizing the use of marijuana. I have
friends who smoke marijuana and, observing their lifestyle, I see nothing
good coming out of it.

These friends earn slightly above minimum wage, and the more they smoke,
the less they have for meeting basic needs. Smoking marijuana seems to take
precedence, at times, over eating. Not only do they spend a few hundred
dollars a month on pot, but their ambition to succeed in life also diminishes.

I do not understand how legalizing marijuana will help my friends. At least
their fear of the law as it now exists prohibits them from buying in even
greater quantities.

Mal Walsh

Toronto -- It is good to see that the Senate has recognized what millions
of people have known for a long time -- that the criminalization of
marijuana use is nonsensical and cannot be justified.

I find it unsurprising that the strongest dissenting voice is that of the
Canadian Police Association, an organization whose members depend heavily
on the so-called "war on drugs" to keep them employed. Imagine how many
hours of pointless police work will be saved each year by pot legalization,
leaving the police free to investigate crimes that actually hurt people.

Gregory Azeff

Guelph, Ont. -- It only makes sense to save ourselves the costs of
criminalization of marijuana (rumoured to be $500-million a year). No
scientific study has ever shown marijuana to be even as harmful as alcohol,
and adults should have the right to decide whether or not to use it.

The LCBO makes a nice profit for Ontario; the MCBO would undoubtedly add
several millions per annum to the pot, so to speak.

L. Hawke