Pubdate: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Copyright: 2006 Winnipeg Free Press Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502 Author: Cedric Silvester Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) ANSWER IS TO LEGALIZE POT Contrary to the opinion of letter writer Susan Van Dreser in Pot benefits organized crime (April 22), marijuana activists are keenly aware that organized crime is the major beneficiary of marijuana prohibition. Criminals control the marijuana industry and criminals enjoy the profits from an estimated $15 billion per year market. They set the age limits, price, purity, location and hours of operation. And they fight among themselves for control of the industry, inevitably leading to innocent Canadians being caught in the cross-fire. Ironically, most of the real harms of marijuana are due to ceding the market to criminals; few harms are due to the drug itself. The vast majority of users experience no significant health problems. The most significant risk for most users is being caught and receiving a criminal record. Legalizing and regulating marijuana using the alcohol model would cut billions of dollars of funding from organized crime. Allowing small, personal grows would eliminate dangerous whole-house grow-ops. And honest, fact-based education could be effective in reducing teenage use, as it has done with cigarettes. The prohibition of marijuana is an abject failure by any measure. It's time to consider real alternatives. It's time to legalize and regulate marijuana. CEDRIC SILVESTER Peterborough, Ont. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman