Pubdate: Tue, 27 Aug 2002
Source: Red Deer Advocate (CN AB)
Copyright: 2002 Red Deer Advocate
Contact:  http://www.reddeeradvocate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2492
Author: Paul Giroux
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/parker.htm (Parker, Terry)
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1571/a03.html

FOR SICK PEOPLE, THE LAW IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

It was refreshing to hear an honestly conservatively stated point of view 
in Greg Neiman's editorial on marijuana laws.

What made this editorial conservative was the fact that the case referred 
to was that of Terry Parker Jr.

The reasoning of the case went like this: since this man, Parker, had to 
chose between his health and the law, the law is unconstitutional. It 
declared this in July of 2000. It set aside judgement for one year in order 
for the government to change the law so that Parker and other people like 
him could receive a legal supply of cannabis.

This was not achieved. Parker did not, and as far as I know, still does not 
have a legal supply of cannabis, at least not by July 2001.

For me, it is unconstitutional that in the year 2002, the government is 
still using prohibitionary laws, even after all that we have been through 
before with the prohibition of alcohol.

It is unconscionable that they are going after anybody at all for 
prohibitionary laws. It is criminal that the government is still going 
after medicinal patients under the same laws.

That Anne McLellan is trying to push her anti-smoking policies into the 
medicinal cannabis program is foolish. Read the side of a can of tobacco, 
Anne, it tells how many people die from smoking tobacco.

Where are all the deaths caused from smoking cannabis in the last 30 years? 
How about the last 5,000 years? We do not need any more surveys or 
medicinal tests. We have been through them as a society.

It is time to end the civil war that is "prohibition."

Paul Giroux

Marijuana Party Champlain, Quebec
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