Only in Ontario? Pity.

The Toronto Star reported to-day the incipient 'crack'-down on those who claim they need to smoke some pot to hold their disease symptoms at bay. So far they've just charged one fellow who claims that the 'cannabal raisins' help ameliorate his GM seizures. He's looking at possession and trafficking charges.

Pot is, or has turned into, a kazillion-dollar a year industry. Grow operations get raided often enough to have become a regular news item. Homes in quiet neigbourhoods get turned into moisture-soaked and mould-infested dumps by folk willing to pay big rents to absentee landlords and to tap into their Electric Power connection. An ounce of pot that once sold for40 bucks many moons ago, now commands $200 bucks and up. It's N times as potent as the wacky tabaccy of my youth, and there seems to be no shortage of it. (Remember the old saw about pot getting you through times of no money better than the reverse?). Pot, these days, will get you shot - or stabbed at least if a recently reported story of an attempted rip-off is any indicator! I guess us 'Joes' get to make up the increased insurance losses and hydro fees caused by these 'entrepreneurs', and to pay increasing municipal taxes to hire more cops to catch 'em.

Why can't government be as enlightened as they are about the methadone program. 10 years ago there were 600 poor souls on the methadone program. That , if you don't know, it gives one, or two, daily doses of a heroin replacement to help addicts 'break their habit'  (provided they continue to test negative for the hard stuff). Well to-day, great lands o'goshen - there are 14 000 poor souls lining up daily for their slug o' juice. The Methadone program has spawned itself an industry! Pharmacists are devoting themselves to the sole practice of distributing it! (NOT!). They get the contract then hire some cheap (but well-supervised) labour to pass it out. Horse (not heroin) Balls!

The ONTGOV is looking into irregularities, but the 14 000 get their dose-a-day - who'd want 14 000 irate druggies rioting over no juice! I would hope that this has put a severe crimp in the heroin market - or at least knocked the street price down, but I doubt it - the latter is just producing new needs for free methadone!

Anyhow, this is dumb. Why doesn't the government just grab the whole thing - legalize hard and soft drugs and peddle them in outlets marketed like the Liquor Stores. Nice displays, free samples, flashy seasonal publications with lifestyle articles "Your Olde Fashioned Christmas Fix", "Spiking in V'ball: an Alternate View", "Jointing in the Woodshop".

At least you'd get a good look at who was doing it, or buying it to sell to kids.

Sick people shouldn't have to go sneaking around to get pot of consistent price and quality. They shouldn't have to bogart a stash just to make sure there'll be 'meds' available  next month. Like the alkaloid addict, they have every right to expect that their weed will be waiting, without the blueclad arm of some latterday 'stoss truppe' waiting to hail them into court.