Series: The Drug Issue, Part 4 Of 13

LEGALIZE POT AND REAP BENEFITS

Former Marijuana Party Candidate Mavis Becker Thinks Pot Should Be
Legalized And Taxed And The Revenue Used To Power The Health Care System

Mavis Becker was a precocious 14-year-old high school student when she
first tried marijuana.

But it wasn't peer pressure that convinced her to give weed a whirl. It was
her music teacher.

"He introduced me, and three or four other students whom he felt could
handle it, to marijuana," said Becker. "I, for one, am glad he did."

That was a long time ago, and Becker - twice a Marijuana Party candidate in
Langley elections - hasn't stopped smoking since.

And she says that marijuana should be legalized and taxed, and the money
used for government programs like education and health care.

"Marijuana is not as dangerous as some of the stuff that's legal," Becker
told The Advance News last week. "It mellows you out. It isn't any worse
than coffee, which gives you the jitters. Tobacco is a helluva lot more
harmful."

Legalizing marijuana makes sense economically in many ways, Becker said.

"Did you know 28 per cent of Langley's budget is spent on policing?" she
said. "Think about that. Police shouldn't be wasting their resources, they
should be looking for the troublemakers."

And seniors who smoke a little marijuana to help their pain aren't
troublemakers.

"When [Becker's husband] Jim was working nights, I always slept better
after a puff," said Becker. "And seniors shouldn't be harassed for smoking
pot - it can really help them."

Becker herself has been stopped by the police for marijuana possession.

"The first time I was stopped was 17 years ago, on the way to my daughter's
wedding," said Becker. "Until then, I hadn't really thought about the
consequences of smoking pot, because there had been none. When they pulled
us over and found our pot, they kept me in jail overnight.

"It was a bummer, but they didn't get all my pot," she laughed.

Becker said that children should be properly educated about drug issues,
and that parents shouldn't treat drug use any differently than they would
treat alcohol.

"Moms would be upset if they were drinking, or smoking marijuana," said
Becker. "Whiskey chugging or smoking a cigarette - that'll kill you."

She said programs like the popular DARE drug education model should be
taught by physicians and nurses, not by police officers.

As with all things, Becker said, the key is moderation.

"I was 14 when I started, and I've never had a notion to do anything
dangerous," she said. "Marijuana is not a gateway drug. That's a crock."

Surprisingly, Becker lauded her old opponent Randy White and his work with
the Parliamentary Committee on the Non-Medical Use of Drugs.

"At least people like Randy White are trying to change things," Becker
said. "Whatever laws there are need to be applied fairly."