Pubdate: Mon, 23 Feb 2009 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2009 The Vancouver Sun Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Author: Von Jeppesen Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n205/a01.html MANITOBA HAS SOMETHING TO TEACH US ABOUT YOUTH GANGS Re: Boycott weed, stop gang violence, by Ed Watson, Issues & Ideas, Feb. 20 I don't understand the logic of this op-ed piece about boycotting marijuana to put a halt to gang violence. As the saying has it, "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Alcohol prohibition in the 1920s paved the way for gangsters to cash in on a product everyone still wanted, regardless of its illegality. Today we are experiencing the same problems, yet, as mind-boggling as it is, some choose to point fingers at the consumer, rather than the root of the problem. As long as we continue having a black market that flourishes due to archaic laws, we will experience these issues that come along with it. Von Jeppesen Oakville, Ont. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom