Re: "Decriminalization of pot will disarm gangs," Sept. 26.
I find this article and all those who follow this doctrine to be incredibly naive and disturbing.
What is it that they think the criminals are going to do when the pot trade is legal and regulated? They are not going to retire and become productive citizens, but rather move on to more dangerous crimes, probably in the drug trade, by producing greater quantities of crack cocaine, homegrown methamphetamines and ecstasy, etc., to replace the relatively innocuous marijuana that they now fight over.
The result will be a tremendous increase in harmful substances entering the market and a sharp increase in gangland violence as they fight for a presumably smaller market.
Those remaining in the pot trade will target black-market customers, including the under-aged. The pot trade to the U.S. will not disappear and it is unlikely that it will be legalized there, bringing even more harmful substances in return back to Canada.
The European countries that have legalized pot have found the exercise to be a large failure and not the "magic" solution they had hoped for.
We will not save any money in law enforcement if we legalize pot but we will see a sharp rise in human misery. Sometimes it is better to deal with the devil you know than the devil you don't.
Jack Trueman
Brentwood Bay
