NO LEGALIZING MARIJUANA

RE CONNIE Woodcock's column concerning the legalization of marijuana (July
21): The repealing of the Narcotic Control Act and the introduction of the
Controlled Drug and Substances Act in 1997, has in essence decriminalized
the use of "soft" drugs, i.e., marijuana and hashish. Possession of small
amounts of these drugs are now summary conviction offences. This means that
a person charged doesn't get fingerprinted. If a person isn't
fingerprinted, his conviction isn't registered and a bona fide criminal
record isn't in existence. Persons charged with amounts greater than 28
grams of marijuana and one gram of hash oil are dealt with in an indictable
manner and are then fingerprinted. Let the laws remain as they are with
serious drug offences being dealt with accordingly. Legalizing marijuana
possession will only take away the seriousness of the more harmful offences
of trafficking and importing.

S.T. Kramer

Parry Sound

(And Connie says if pot was legalized there'd be no more traffickers or
importers to worry about)