MG>  MG>> So far, 9 people have been arrested; 3 in Toronto and 6
in B.C. The
MG>  MG>> Mounties won't say how that case led them to the B.C.
legislature, but
MG>  MG>> they said the drug trade is not just about biker gangs.
"The fact that
MG>  MG>> $6 billion a year is generated by this industry shouldn't surprise
MG>  MG>> anyone that many people are susceptible to being
corrupted," said RCMP
MG>  MG>> Sgt. John Ward.

MG>  DP> No kidding.  So what's the answer?  More crackdowns on pot planting
MG>  DP> or.....legitimize the industry, take it out of the dark and
put it in the
MG>  DP> light, and slap some taxes on it, like they do for booze?   Not really
MG>  DP> sure here.  Maybe we need to study this a bit.....

MG> IMO, pot is far less addictive and far less physically damaging than alcohol
MG> is, and it causes /way/ less grief for others. How many people get into
MG> accidents because they're high on pot? Very few, because if they're not too
MG> paranoid to drive, they tend to crawl along well under the speed limit, being
MG> extra cautious. Compare that to the recklessness that alcohol tends
to cause in
MG> people's behaviours.

True.  However, I would still not like to see stoned drivers on the 
road.  Reaction time is important.

I recall reading about behaviours that cop eyeball in order to 
determine whether a driver is likely drunk:  wild, careening cars is one, and 
extremely slow drivers is another.

However....I live across the road from a bar, and invariably, drunks 
get out on the street and start fighting just after last call.  Frankly, 
you don't see that with potheads.  They're *much* too mellow for that.

MG> It makes no sense to me that such a dangerous drug as alcohol is legal in this
MG> country and yet pot is not. Yes, it should be legalized and taxed;
it will take
MG> the trade out of the hands of the criminals and make money for the government,
MG> which can then be put to good use helping people with problems from far more
MG> addictive drugs.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

MG> And this is from someone who is not a big fan of pot. Yes, I've used
it before,
MG> and I still have a rare occasional puff, but I much prefer an
occasional drink.
MG> I do not look down on those who like to use it a lot more, though.

I was at the big open-air SARS concert in Toronto (Rolling Stones, 
AC/DC a host of other bands).  There were approximately 500,000 people 
present.  The air was filled with pot smoke.  Police were pleasantly 
surprised at the extremely low number of "incidents" (fights, etc.).  

Legalization of pot is long overdue.

shades{at}shadesworld.net
http://shadesworld.net

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 þ MM 1.1 #0366 þ I bet you I could stop gambling.