US drug war comes to CANADA!!!!!!

[harris7]

Today i awoke at 6am to make my way to my last exam for this semester.
And what do I awake to, the newspaper heading
" Canada looks to USA for drug policy hints" (FUCK THAT)

anyways the exam didn't go well.

PLEASE all Canadians write to your MP. The conservatives are very susceptible to criticism now as they are lower in the polls than the Liberals and the Clean air act sucked balls (and everyone knows).

It is very easy to find your MP online and it only takes a few minuets to write this very important letter.

Real letters have much more impact, but emails are Much better than nothing.

Here is a link to the article:
FUCK THIS

Thanks for your time

harris7 Reviewed by harris7 on 12-13-2006. US drug war comes to CANADA!!!!!! Today i awoke at 6am to make my way to my last exam for this semester. And what do I awake to, the newspaper heading " Canada looks to USA for drug policy hints" (FUCK THAT) anyways the exam didn't go well. PLEASE all Canadians write to your MP. The conservatives are very susceptible to criticism now as they are lower in the polls than the Liberals and the Clean air act sucked balls (and everyone knows). It is very easy to find your MP online and it only takes a few minuets to Rating: 5

[mrdevious]

Oh god damnit, we really don't need this. How can anybody look at the results of U.S. drug policy and thing THAT is an effective system. Though I suppose the conservatives only consider the ideology, not the results in this case. It's a shame, I voted conservative in the last election because I was sick of Liberal corruption and party members ruling like kings more than representatives. The conservitive economic policies have even been really solid. But now I see they're spending millions on a child care policy that won't do anything, their environmental efforts are rediculously weak. they're harder against pot than ever (it'll never legalize under them), and now thing about the drug policy. Unfortunately it appears I'm going to have to vote for somebody else. It's a tough decision because I want to NDP in more than the Liberals, but I know the liberals are the only ones with a real chance and will at least have policies on environment and drugs that are still substancially better than the current ones (albeit still vastly inferior to the NDP's in this respect). I get the feeling the next election is going to be a very tough call...

[harris7]

well currently the libs are 38% in the polls and the cons. at 32 or 34%.
but that could just be because of the new leader.

I hope the libs. dont win the next election because of their new "green" leader. i hope the environment just becomes an issue that every party takes seriously. with no debate.

If you want to drop me a line, send me your email via the rep. system. it's the only personal messaging thing we got. I think it'll work

i do hope the liberals with with the NDP holding the balance. that would be nice to have again, and it would stand for a long time too. Maybe get a lot of good done. I hope there is an election soon, every day with harper is another loss to canada. I will probaly vote NDP because i cannot bring myself to vote for someone who i dont agree with. and both my ridings are won alredy (probaly)

[dutch.lover]

this blows-i am very upset. i am going to write letters as well.

[Perp]

Oh god damnit, we really don't need this. How can anybody look at the results of U.S. drug policy and thing THAT is an effective system. Though I suppose the conservatives only consider the ideology, not the results in this case. It's a shame, I voted conservative in the last election because I was sick of Liberal corruption and party members ruling like kings more than representatives. The conservitive economic policies have even been really solid. But now I see they're spending millions on a child care policy that won't do anything, their environmental efforts are rediculously weak. they're harder against pot than ever (it'll never legalize under them), and now thing about the drug policy.

Realize that all politicians will abuse power to a certain extent. We as the voting public need to vote for the policy, not whether or not we believe the politician is totally honest. It was obvious the Conservatives would crack down on drugs before the election. Anyone who doesn't agree with current drug policy should have voted against them. I know that some Liberals were taking cash, but if the alternative is a US style drug war, then I'll take the Liberals.

It's a tough decision because I want to NDP in more than the Liberals, but I know the liberals are the only ones with a real chance

And why can't you vote NDP? If everyone that thought that voted NDP I bet they would at least be the official opposition.

[mrdevious]

Actually the NDP is already acting as a solid opposition, but I agree they could have a lot more power. This is the bothersome thing about our riding system, the NDP has twice as many votes as the Bloc, yet the Bloc gets twice as much representation in the house.

I probably will vote NDP. You're right, a big reason the NDP can't get ahead is because NDPer's often vote Liberal, seeing them as the only party with a realistic chance and a lesser of evils. I was thinking this way because I know the NDP don't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning in my riding. But I suppose I'll just vote them anyway, because the greater good is that increasing their national vote count will give the voting public more confidence in voting for them next time.

[Perp]

Actually the NDP is already acting as a solid opposition, but I agree they could have a lot more power. This is the bothersome thing about our riding system, the NDP has twice as many votes as the Bloc, yet the Bloc gets twice as much representation in the house.

They have some clout now because there is a minority gov't but that will change when there is another majority.

I probably will vote NDP. You're right, a big reason the NDP can't get ahead is because NDPer's often vote Liberal, seeing them as the only party with a realistic chance and a lesser of evils. I was thinking this way because I know the NDP don't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning in my riding. But I suppose I'll just vote them anyway, because the greater good is that increasing their national vote count will give the voting public more confidence in voting for them next time.

That's the spirit. Gotta start somewhere.

[dutch.lover]

I vote for the NDP, even though my riding always ends up conservative. I realize that a lot of people choose to vote liberal cause they think that that party is the only one that stands a chance against the conservatives, but like you guys have been saying- if everyone who wants to vote for the NDP does so, they would probably beat the liberals.

I am so depressed about the drug thing though. The rules/laws surrounding pot in BC have been getting less and less enforced, for example cops are starting to give people safety fines and warnings (cause of high, unsafe electricity in large grow-ops) instead of actually busting them for growing. Stephen Harper can just fuck off. I hate him.

[harris7]

And why can't you vote NDP? If everyone that thought that voted NDP I bet they would at least be the official opposition.

Valid point. In my riding it's like 50% cons. 37% liberal and like 10% right,

the fact is we dont know if half the NDPer's are voting liberal because they've got a better chance of beating the Con.

Slowly over a few elections the votes for the NDP will get bigger, until more and more people think "hmm maybe they have a chance now, maybe i can vote how i want to"
and Bang, NDP's the second in the riding.

So by voting NDP in my con/lib riding. isn't to elect the person it's to show the liberal voting ndpers that other people think the same way.

More so, Jack still gets to represent more people when you vote for him. % wise, and they get money and shit.

always vote with your beliefs, it's kinda what democracy is about

[harris7]

Oh and I hope were all writing letters, it’s really simple, I’ll bang one off right now.
That everyone can use (but, please change it a bit)

Dear MP,

Recently the newspapers have been littered with articles which speak of talks between Canadian and the US government officials on the topic of a new drug strategy for Canada. I am writing to express my opposition to any drug strategy similar to the one used in the USA.
The US’s approach has proven to be a very ineffective in almost every quantifier, Economicaly, at reducing drug use and at prevention (please go on in your letter).

Bla bla bla, heres some statistics.

In closing I hope that you change your parties approach and continue focusing on the prevention, education and rehabilitation efforts Canada is known for.

In solidarity,

Cannabis.com member

Heres some quick stats.
Or go to www.drugwarfacts.org

$18.822 Billion spent by the American federal government on the drug war in 2002
Source: Office of National Drug Control Policy, "National Drug Control Strategy: FY 2003 Budget Summary" (Washington, DC: Office of the President, February 2002), Table 2, p. 6.

a 12 year longitudinal study from the University of Pittsburgh that was released Dec 6th, disproved gateway theory.

The Safer Commission was appointed by President Nixon, and reported that the laws regarding marijuana should be decriminalized in 1972. Instead Nixon placed a moratorium on all research pertaining to Cannabis.

Since 1998 the US federal government has spent over 1 billion dollars on an anti-drug ad campaign that has been proven to increase teen drug use.

The percentage of the general population who have used cocaine is 10.5% in the USA 5 times higher than in the Netherlands.
Source: Netherlands Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, Drug
Policy in the Netherlands: Progress Report September 1997-September
1999, (The Hague: Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, November
1999), p. 6. The report notes "*The figures quoted in this paragraph
for drug use in the US are taken from the National Household
Survey 1997, SAMSHA, Office of Applied Studies, Washington, DC".


Chart:
Comparing Important Drug and Violence Indicators


Social Indicator Comparison Year U.S. Netherlands
================================================== ===============
Lifetime prevalence
of marijuana use
(ages 12+) 2001 36.9% #1 17.0% #2

Past month
prevalence of
marijuana use
(ages 12+) 2001 5.4% #1 3.0% #2

Lifetime prevalence
of heroin use
(ages 12+) 2001 1.4% #1 0.4% #2

Incarceration Rate
per 100,000
population 2002 701 #3 100 #4

Homicide rate per
100,000 population average 1999-2001 5.56 #6 1.51 #6

sources for chart:

Source #1: US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Household
Survey on Drug Abuse: Volume I. Summary of National Findings
(Washington, DC: HHS, August 2002), p. 109, Table H.1.

Source #2: Trimbos Institute, "Report to the EMCDDA by the Reitox
National Focal Point, The Netherlands Drug Situation 2002" (Lisboa,
Portugal: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction,
Nov. 2002), p. 28, Table 2.1.

Source #3: Walmsley, Roy, "World Prison Population List (fifth
edition) (London, England: Research, Development and Statistics
Directorate of the Home Office), Dec. 2003, p. 3, Table 2.

Source #4: Walmsley, Roy, "World Prison Population List (fifth
edition) (London, England: Research, Development and Statistics
Directorate of the Home Office), Dec. 2003, p. 5, Table 4.

Source #5: van Dijk, Frans & Jaap de Waard, "Legal infrastructure of
the Netherlands in international perspective: Crime control"
(Netherlands: Ministry of Justice, June 2000), p. 9, Table S.13.

Source #6: Barclay, Gordon, Cynthia Tavares, Sally Kenny, Arsalaan
Siddique & Emma Wilby, "International comparisons of criminal justice
statistics 2001," Issue 12/03 (London, England: Home Office Research,
Development & Statistics Directorate, October 2003), p. 10, Table 1.1.