Here is the first letter to a talk radio show. I'll let you know if it or I will be going on air. This guy is very pro marijuana and it is always a good discussion.
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We spoke some time ago regarding the new rules for medical marijuana and I have another marijuana related issue I feel needs to be addressed. As you know, we won round 1 with the judge granting us previously covered by the mmar, an injunction.The new mmpr is clearly not working and patients are forced to buy from the black market or wait, sometimes months, for their medicine. I am very confident we will also get a favourable ruling at the constitutional challenge in February. Your show and others made a huge contribution to that decision by presenting a balanced view and keeping the issue in the news, and I thank you. I am hoping that by shedding some light on this current issue, we will have the same effect.
My current source of frustration is two fold. On July 30,2014, the Harper government released the results of an taxpayer funded Ipsos-Reid poll for the Department of Justice to gauge Canadians' views on marijuana and prostitution. More than two thirds of Canadians polled, favoured 'softer laws' from decriminalization to outright legalization. Fast forward two weeks to August 13,2014 when the Harper government announced it was looking for doctors to endorse a 5 million dollar, taxpayer funded advertising campaign against marijuana use. This whole idea is wrong on so many levels it makes my head spin!
First, lets address the blatant use of tax dollars to push what they have made into their biggest election weapon...attempting to discredit their opponent for his stance on marijuana. The endless attack ads and fliers making slanderous accusations are disgusting enough, and now they want us to pay to sit through another 12 months of it. I can think of many uses for that $5 million that would actually be of some benefit to the people it was appropriated from.
Next is the issue of the poll itself. Why did the government need another poll to tell them the same thing every poll since 2000 has indicated; a vast majority of Canadians want the laws surrounding marijuana use relaxed or abolished. I couldn't find the cost of that poll, but it was clearly another waste of tax dollars.
After getting the results of this poll which was actually conducted in February,2014, the Harper government kept the results secret while ridiculing Justin Trudeau for voicing the same opinion as most Canadians have. The number of trees sacrificed to print glossy(read:non-recyclable) pamphlets telling us how Justin Trudeau is visiting elementary schools extolling the virtues of weed, is in itself a crime not to mention the content. How some of the conservative MP's are not the defendants in libel cases is beyond me.
After letting the public in on the incredulous results of the poll, the government decides to spend 5 million of yours and my tax dollars to warn us poor uneducated folk of the dangers of marijuana use. And just to try to gain a little credibility, they have asked the college of physicians and surgeons to endorse it. I'm all for education to keep pot away from young people, but unless they are willing to reinstate alcohol prohibition, their 'save the children' arguments in favour of continued marijuana prohibition are moot. Five million dollars spent on trying to push Stephen Harper's antiquated sense of morals on a supposedly democratic society, who has clearly said they aren't interested,is criminal.
Thanks for 'listening' and I hope you can find a few minutes to address this issue.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/07/30/more-than-two-thirds-of-canadians-want-marijuana-laws-softened-though-a-majority-still-against-legalization-poll/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/08/13/conservative-government-asks-canadian-doctors-to-endorse-taxpayer-funded-ad-campaign-against-marijuana/
http://frankdiscussion.netfirms.com/info_statistics.html
