Legalize it

Canada’s Larry Campbell is a former RCMP drug officer, former coroner, former Mayor of Vancouver, and now Senator. He’s got a must-read OpEd about marijuana in The Province

“The time is here that we should simply take this out of the criminal element and regulate it. The idea that marijuana is virtually any of the things that the drug warriors in the United States say is ludicrous.
“They’re much like the Conservative government — they don’t believe in scientific fact. […]
Campbell says one thing has convinced opponents marijuana should be illegal: ideology.
“It’s all ideology — if they’re wrong on this, then what else are they wrong on? They won’t even allow hemp. That’s how stupid these people are — and they are stupid. I describe [White House drug czar John] Walters as a moron, and he is truly a moron. […]
“If [Prime Minister Stephen] Harper gets his way, prisons, like the United States, will be a growth industry. We’ll start destroying families. [There will be] more crime, breakdown in society and loss of productivity from good people going to jail for nothing.”
Campbell says “there’s no question” Canada’s marijuana laws are dictated by the U.S. war on drugs.
“We dance entirely to their tune. We’re afraid of what will happen if we ever legalize marijuana.” [emphasis added]