CANNABIS GOOD

I notice 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" (Aug. 16 editorial, Get off the justice pot).

Yet you seem to disapprove of cannabis decriminalization, despite the fact
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.

Economists Frank Chaloupka and Adit Laixuthai estimate that cannabis
decriminalization would reduce youth traffic fatalities by 5.5%, youth
drinking rates by 8% and binge drinking rates by 5%.

Matthew M. Elrod

Victoria, B.C.

(And other studies show the exact opposite.)