IT'S TIME CANADA DECRIMINALIZED MARIJUANA USE

After reading Sue Nadon's letter to the Editor (In no way should we
legalize marijuana) I was reminded of the last words of Richard Rumbold.
The Levellers, of which Rumbold was leader, figure in history as an
important movement that fought for liberty in medieval England.

"I was not born with a saddle on my back and you, sir, were not born booted
and spurred to ride me," said Richard just before the king hanged him over
religious intolerance.

Nadon seems to think any kind of chicanery passed into law ought to deserve
our respect. A crook is a crook she says. Well, a crook is someone who
harms a person or the property of another. Someone who harms himself by
using drugs is a sinner.

Is the state your master or your servant, Sue? Because of having a criminal
record for my vices, you can rest assured I have spur marks and saddle
sores on my back. That Nadon uses the term "legalize" means she has
accepted that the state is her master and can indeed tell her what she can
and cannot ingest.

Legalize implies the state will pass a law to permit a particular activity.
The proper term is decriminalize or simply strike down the existing law.

Chris Buors

Magnus Avenue

Winnipeg, Man.