Editor:
Re: Mayor opposed to legalizing pot, Oct. 12
At a recent Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Victoria, a majority of municipal leaders voted in favour of a resolution calling for the decriminalization and taxation of marijuana.
Legalize pot and - presto - gang-related violent crime in our communities and fear among our citizens would disappear.
But wait, that's not all! The collateral benefit of a "potted" Canada will be of having solved, virtually overnight, Canada's problem of declining tourism from south of the border and elsewhere.
Just think of the enormous tourism potential of a mass influx of drug-deprived folks descending on the "True North, Strong and Free and Legally Drugged," pouring untold millions of much-needed dollars into our struggling economy ... with many undoubtedly wishing to stay permanently.
Indeed, that's the kind of "stimulus" (pun intended) that would really help us all get through these hard economic times with a "buzz."
On a less euphoric note, however, the myths and fallacies of "ending marijuana prohibition" are many. Here are just two, as outlined by the Canadian Police Association:
Myth #1: Legalization will drive the crime rate down.
Myth #2: Organized crime would be reduced if drugs were legalized.
While the proponents of marijuana legalization may consider the above mere police propaganda, we must be grateful for sane voices such as those of Lois Jackson and Delta police Chief Jim Cessford, challenging the Union of B.C. Municipalities to provide us with a view of whatever "pot reality" they are coming from.
E.W. Bopp
