Doctor: Marijuana has no place in society

National Post · Letter section, Sept. 30, 2011
Re: A Misguided Sense Of Justice, letter to the editor, Sept. 28; Pot Growers Face More Jail Than Rapists, Sept. 23.

Two letters criticize the government's plan to increase the punishment for marijuana growers. As a psychiatrist who has been practising for more than 30 years, I have seen the extensive harm smoking pot has done in terms of mental well-being for countless people and their families. Many small marijuana growers share or sell their crop with others, whose brains became poisoned, resulting in paranoia, psychotic behaviour, amotivation and many of these damages become chronic and long lasting, contrary to what most people may think.

Some of their presentations are indistinguishable from long-term psychosis. Comparing the punishment for marijuana growers with sexual predators is like comparing apples with oranges. They are both unacceptable and should not be tolerated in our society.

Dr. Henry T. Chuang, Calgary
http://www.financialpost.com/todays-paper/Marijuana+place+society/5480484/story.html

Vancouver afraid to offend drug addicts---legalizes drug abuses with free crack pipes

Drug addicts should be sent to isolated work camps
By Brian Purdy, Postmedia News, September 14, 2011 
I prosecuted a lot of drug dealers in Vancouver during my career. Those at the wholesale level were not usually addicts. At the retail level of drug dealing, many were addicts, peddling drugs to anyone, including kids, to obtain money to fuel their addiction.

Of course, the addicts engaged in many other crimes to get money for more drugs. They mugged old ladies, broke into homes and cars, stole from stores and family, broke their parole and probation terms, abused the welfare system, prostituted themselves, and generally led a degenerate, lawless life.