Stop Illegal Grow-Ops

The only way to do that is to legalise, tax, and regulate marijuana. In the meantime, like with the prohibition of alcohol, the prohibition of cannabis will simply lead to more tragedies like the one in Alberta this week. No prohibition of pot and you take the gangs and the thugs out of the equation. I don't think that a lot of racketeering happens among the tobacco farmers of southwestern Ontario, and I don't think that Molsons is paying protection money to anyone either. I'm not a particular fan of the reefer myself, but when you compare to it alcohol, I don't think that the damage done is any worse. I don't buy the "gateway" argument either. Sure someone who gets into heroin or whatever is more likely to have smoked weed. But I'm sure that they were also likely to have smoked tobacco and consumed alcohol. So why not ban them too? I'd also note that potheads are probably less likely to beat their spouse than alcoholics. And while driving under the influence of anything is probably unwise, a mellowed toker is probably less harmful than an angry drunk.