Pubdate: Fri, 02 May 2003 Source: Edmonton Sun (CN AB) Copyright: 2003, Canoe Limited Partnership. Contact: http://www.fyiedmonton.com/htdocs/edmsun.shtml Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/135 Author: D. Saar Note: Parenthetical remark by the Sun editor, headline by newshawk HARMFUL TO THE TAXPAYERS I AM so sick of hearing that decriminalizing pot would hurt our relations with the U.S. Little known fact: pot was legal in Alaska not long ago - one ounce was legal. Heard of all the Canadians who rushed there for pot? Of course not. When I went to school in Hawaii, pot was not illegal, but you could be fined $25 for trying to smuggle it out of Hawaii. We pay billions to keep this harmless weed illegal and a great many Canadians have criminal records only for this so-called offence. It's great for the courts, cops and lawyers, but truly harmful to the taxpayers. It's money that would be better spent on health care and education instead of lawyers, courts and more cops to waste time and resources harassing pot smokers. D. Saar (You've made your feelings clear on this matter.) - --- MAP posted-by: Beth