NO SOLUTION AT ALL

Re: Robert Sharpe's letter (Regulate 'soft' drugs, Dec. 7) proposing
the legal sale of marijuana while continuing the prohibition of hard
drugs. Even if pot were legalized, drug peddlers would continue to
sell it, as they do now, to children too young to buy it legally,
while still exposing them to hard drugs. Selective legalization is
equivalent to permitting the sale of wine and beer, while keeping
spirits illegal. It leaves criminals in control of a lucrative
market, while exposing addicts to all kinds of risks. Helping kids
avoid drugs should be the responsibility of parents in conjunction
with anti-drug public-service announcements.

MICHAEL DOWLING

Winnipeg