Editor, The News:
Re: Problems in the world bigger than pot and breasts (Letters, Oct. 23).
I’m not sure if Cherryl Katnich realizes that in Canada we all live in a democracy, where new ideas, as small as they sometimes may seem, are the way society moves forward, one small step at a time.
I agree, there are major problems in the world. Starvation & poverty could be blamed on multinational corporations, institutions, and influential people who need poverty to remain rich. As for genocide & wars, blame religion & human natures desire for power & money. Perhaps to ban religion, heavily tax the rich and ban large corporations like Walmart would solve the worlds problems, not likely.
Cannabis in Canada was deemed illegal in 1923, based on no real research or evidence. International pressure keeps it that way, even in this day and age 90 years later.
Medical marihuana use is not the issue here. It’s the fact that as a tax paying society, we are wasting money on enforcing cannabis. How much time and money does it cost to investigate a grow-op? How much money do we waste in the court system charging an individual with simple possession? This money could be spent enforcing real crimes.
If we taxed marijuana, how much $ annually could we bring in as a province? Could that $ not go helping the many people already suffering from addiction & other social issues that our province currently ignores?
I certainly hope this armchair author will not let her hindsight bias get in the way of progression.
Sarah Little
Maple Ridge