cannabisnews.com: Letter Writers Keep Pot Issue on Front Burner





Letter Writers Keep Pot Issue on Front Burner
Posted by CN Staff on August 08, 2003 at 09:37:16 PT
By David Teetzel
Source: Era-Banner
Thank (or blame) the Internet, but our local newspapers receive responses from the most unexpected places. We generally don't run letters from outside our local communities, but we get them from all over the place. In some cases, they originate with some crank who mass mails his opinions to every newspaper in Canada. But very often, they are a specific response to a story. A recent story about spraying for mosquitoes, for example, attracted a letter from Nepean, Ont. 
But no topic is more certain to provide e-mails from hither and yon than marijuana. For a while, every time any York Region newspaper ran a police item about a pot bust, we would get an angry e-mail from a couple in Victoria, B.C. accusing us of complicity in a police-driven plot. But that was nothing compared to a little story we ran about the police board wanting Ottawa to clarify marijuana possession laws. Board member Bob Callow was angry about a case in which a Thornhill woman called police to report the theft of two bags of marijuana. "It's ridiculous to put our police service in the position where someone can report the theft of their drugs and we're in the position of going out and trying to find out who stole their marijuana," Mr. Callow said at a meeting a couple of weeks ago. Well, to some people, it's not so ridiculous. "What is absurd is having cops pretend to be drug policy scholars, especially so when it is obvious what they really crave are budget increases and higher salaries doing relatively light work, busting dopers," said a letter originating in Brick, New Jersey. "Theft is theft. We Canadians are sick and tired of our hard earned tax-paying money going to paying for prohibition," said a missive signed by a woman in Maple Ridge, B.C. I do think, by the way, she has a point. In the marijuana theft in question, the victim said two men who claimed to have a gun took two bags of marijuana. That's armed robbery and I don't much care whether they stole her wallet or her weed, police should investigate. In much the same way, police were diligent in their investigation of a violent home invasion at a Maple grow house earlier this year. Two men were charged with attempted murder, robbery, forcible confinement and wearing a disguise with intent to commit a crime. Nobody questioned whether the victims were doing something illegal and, therefore, the crime should be ignored. But having said that, you have to admit this country has gone a little topsy-turvy. If your car gets dinged on the road, you're afraid to call police because it will drive your insurance rates through the roof, but illegal drug users brazenly call 911 to report their stash has been stolen. And Mr. Callow, who is not a police officer, was complaining about the unworkable situation of having the government announce it is decriminalizing simple possession but not passing new legislation. Yes, York Regional Police are officially opposed to marijuana decriminalization, but more importantly, they need clear legislative direction to do their jobs. I'm sure our correspondents know this very well. They are obviously a clever and well-organized bunch, monitoring the Internet for stories about their pet issue and expressing their point of view en masse every chance they get. It's probably a good strategy for dealing with the Chretien government in its doddering legacy years -- scream your rights are being violated long and loud enough and the feds are likely to capitulate to just about anything. Too bad such astute political strategists are so determined to obliterate their own brain cells.Source: Era-Banner, The (CN ON)Author: David TeetzelPublished: August 7, 2003Copyright: 2003 The Era-BannerContact tkibble erabanner.comWebsite: http://www.yorkregion.com/yr/newscentre/erabanner/CannabisNews Articles -- Canadahttp://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=canada
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Comment #4 posted by afterburner on August 12, 2003 at 16:58:46 PT:
It Was a Pretty Good Article until the Last Line
Too bad such astute political strategists are so determined to obliterate their own brain cells.It's alcohol that kills brain cells, not cannabis. You know, alcohol, the legal one. Oh, and by the way, cannabis protects brain cells, and it's currently legal in Canada.ego transcendence follows ego destruction, keep up the good work, you letter-writing brothers and sisters!
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Comment #3 posted by Jose Melendez on August 12, 2003 at 16:54:14 PT
non-sequitur
Cannabis activists are clever, well-organized, AND have burned out brain cells?non sequitur
 n. '(it) does not follow'; illogical deduction; fallacy; anacoluthon.
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Comment #2 posted by i420 on August 12, 2003 at 16:20:14 PT
Thanks FoM
This was a good article somehow I missed it before.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on August 08, 2003 at 18:35:35 PT
I Wasn't Sure If People Saw This Article
Here is an interesting article from Canada that I archived earlier today but might be seen easier if I make a comment.Here it is!
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