WHY WE INHALE

Hamilton, Ont. -- Given such a concentration of cannabis (O Cannabis --
editorial, June 29) in one city -- Vancouver -- it can be easily seen that
all of British Columbia generates annual revenue exceeding the $36-billion
in cash receipts generated last year by all of Canada's "legitimate" crops
combined.

And then there is the rest of Canada. It is estimated that federal agencies
spend between $325-million and $500-million of taxpayer funds each year
eradicationg cannabis -- more than 30,000 people are charged with simple
possession annually. It is inconceivable that Ottawa would rather spend
this amount of money than accrue revenue on a potential $36-billion-plus.

Yet these direct monetary costs are only half of what we pay. There are
also court and incarceration costs. And then there is all the good that
could have been done if these vast resources had been available for other
priorities.

The prohibition of cannabis has demonstrated itself to be ineffective law
that is neither a deterrent to youth nor to marijuana growers. If there
isn't an expert in the country who would recommend that marijuana be the
one that is banned based on individual and societal harm, then the
prohibition of cannabis is a mistake.