Editor:
Reading the article about pot producers in the Aug. 29 edition of your newspaper generated a lot of concerns in my mind.
For one thing, we can very well understand why CVI wanted to have one of our councillors as a director of their company. The reason is so obvious, I don’t even need to state it. Something else is obvious to me too: this creates indeed an “apparent” conflict of interest, and we don’t need that.
The problem is not Mr. Moore’s position on marijuana; the problem is his wish to make Sechelt the marijuana capital of the world. How many residents in Sechelt agree with councillors Moore’s and Lamb’s dream?
Another serious concern is the comment from Coun. Lamb, who affirmed that marijuana is a “drug that works good for people and makes people healthier”. We can always debate what “good” means in this context, but I am curious to know where Mr. Lamb learned that marijuana makes people “healthier”.
The goal of medicinal marijuana is to help people who have to endure pain. It does relieve some of the pain, but it doesn’t mean that it makes people healthier.
On the contrary, it’s been proved that the (ab)use of this drug can lead to serious mental and physical troubles. I can understand that people who have to deal with pain will take the risk, but affirming in a newspaper that marijuana makes people healthier is something else, and I hope Coun. Lamb will correct his comment.
Jobs are important, I agree, but not as important as the quality of life. Make Sechelt a nice place to live, and jobs will come.
Marc Theriault, Sechelt
