MINISTER'S POT-SMOKING ADMISSION DISTURBING

Cauchon Undercuts Parents' Message On Law Obedience

I am shocked and disappointed by the comments of Justice Minister Martin
Cauchon and would like an apology to me and all other parents working hard
to teach children to respect the laws of this land (not to mention their
health.)

When asked if he had used marijuana the quotation attributed to Cauchon
was:"I'm 39 years old. Yes, of course I tried it before, obviously"
(Journal, July 17).

The implication is that everyone did it, so it was OK.

My 39th birthday is approaching and I, for one, have not tried marijuana.
Many of my friends did, but many of them chose not to. Some abstained
because they were athletes, others for religious reasons, and some because
it was (and still is) illegal and our parents taught us not to break the
law, whether or not we thought that law to be reasonable.

Some of us were "nerds" and some were "cool," but all of us held to our
convictions in the face of peer pressure.

I resent the implication that an entire generation "obviously" tried
marijuana. I had a very diverse circle of acquaintances in high school and
university and my guess is that a significant percentage chose not to use
marijuana. I can say with absolute certainty that every member of my peer
group who tried it broke the law in doing so.

I have no strong opinion either way about whether marijuana should be
decriminalized, but I will continue to teach my two school-age children to
respect the law and until the law changes, that means no marijuana! I would
appreciate it if the minister of justice would stop undercutting these efforts.

I understand that this is a complex issue and applaud the justice minister
being open and honest in his statements of personal experience. I cannot,
however, condone a minister of justice who admits to having knowingly
broken the law without the slightest hint that this might have been wrong
or that it represented a lapse in judgment.

Robert Betty

Edmonton