It's time to legalize pot

Sentinel Review ^ | 9/5/2002

[MrLeRoy]

It's enough for a big thumbs up ... or a big light up, if you prefer.

Canada should legalize marijuana use by adults, a Senate committee recommended Wednesday. The report comes on the heels of a two-year study of public policy relating to pot.

The present system of prohibition on marijuana just doesn't work, the committee found. Obviously, the committee learned something from early 20th-century history, when alcohol was prohibited in the United States. Then, prohibition simply gave gangsters a product to move and people to shoot.

Instead of the current system that penalizes people for having small quantities of pot on them, there should instead be a regulated system for marijuana, perhaps like our current system for alcohol, the committee determined.

"Scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates that cannabis is substantially less harmful than alcohol and should be treated not as a criminal issue but as a social and health issue," said Senator Pierre Claude Nolin, the committee chair.

It's true that taking pot still involves the harmful intake of smoke, which the committee recognized. But, as the committee pointed out, it's more of a health issue than anything else.

In addition, making pot legal would clear the way for our police to tackle other, more harmful crimes relating to the public good. Really, would you rather see a pot smoker or a child molester behind bars?

Whether the federal government will ever adopt the Senate recommendations is up in the air. Hopefully the feds won't throw up a smokescreen on this to cloud the issue, and goes ahead with legalization.

[Conagher]

That statement presupposes some sense of right and wrong, which you seem to be lacking. How can you label me a "fraud" if you do not subscribe to the concept of morality? In your world, you are just as much of a fraud as am I.

[apochromat]

Why not answer my question, and why don't you calm down without typing?

[Conagher]

Why? Because any subject dealing with morality would be totally foreign to you.

Also, I am quite calm.

[Conagher]

Excuse me, because any post dealing with morality . . .

Now I'm calm.

[apochromat]

Because someone else could read it, and see the full extent of your evil greenery fears?

[Conagher]

Something along those lines.

< /sarcasm>

Good night!

[apochromat]

Many plants should be kept away from children and dangerous people, but that doean't make the plants or the children evil. Parhaps you are confusing these two concepts?

[apochromat]

Sleep well.