CANNABIS FACTS

I could not help but notice that you support competing with the U.S. for
their world record incarceration rate because "a majority of Canadians
think our courts are not tough enough" ("Grits still too soft on crime,"
Editorial, Aug 16).

Yet you seem to disapprove of cannabis decriminalization despite the fact
that a majority of Canadians support it. In answer to your "tough question"
on detecting stoned drivers, the empirical evidence is conclusive: cannabis
and alcohol are economic substitutes with cross-price elasticities. When
cannabis use goes up, alcohol use goes down, resulting in a net decrease in
drug-related traffic accidents.

I also noticed that your lock-'em-up editorial appeared in Sun Media's
Winnipeg and Calgary papers. Have you decided to follow CanWest Global's
lead and have all your papers publish the opinions of your head office?

Matthew M. Elrod

Victoria, B.C.

(All Suns are free to use one another's editorials any time they choose.
And, for the record, we support the easing of marijuana possession laws)