ONLY LEGALIZATION WILL WORK

Re: "No hope for dope" (Letters, April 2). Roch de Bellefeuille
writes that the controversy over contraband cigarette production on
native reserves proves that legalizing marijuana will never work.

On the contrary, it's clear proof that only legalization will work.
When the government allowed a regulated but unlimited tobacco market,
there was no contraband production. It is only when the government
got greedy and tried to discourage tobacco consumption" with
excessive taxes that the contraband industry took off. If the
government really wanted to limit, it could have criminalized
tobacco. Of course, just like the criminalization of marijuana, that
would have had little effect.

Therefore, if the government wants to take back control of the
tobacco industry and gain control of the marijuana industry, their
only hope is to legalize, lower taxes (which will only mean raising
taxes on something else, to be sure), and try to curb consumption
through awareness campaigns rather than money grabs.

Raj Patel

Montreal