Marijuana for sale ...Mathew Sumner/The Canadian Press
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Canada’s cannabis trip
The legalization of marijuana for general consumption is a devastating, immoral attack by the Trudeau government against the best interests of all of Canada’s vulnerable and marginalized citizens, especially our young people, who are ill-equipped to handle it (What A Long Strange Trip It Will Be – editorial, June 21).
Surviving in modern society demands vigilance, sobriety, discipline and competence on all fronts. Marijuana use discourages these necessary virtues. There should have been a national referendum before this profound decision was made. There are no adults in charge any more.
Peter Best, Sudbury, Ont.
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Liberal MP Bill Blair, a former chief of the Toronto Police Service who is the parliamentary secretary to the Ministers of Health and Justice, is quoted as saying that Canadian law is simply catching up with Canadian cannabis usage: “When a third of the population is ignoring the law, you really have to look at the law.”
The Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey (CTADS) reported that the prevalence of past-year use of cannabis among the general population was 12 per cent in 2015, which was an increase from 2013 (11 per cent).
Cannabis was not legalized because most Canadians wanted to use it, but because an elite group had the money and political influence to see that it happened.
In the end, the marijuana industry was in charge, and it will make sure that Mr. Blair’s overzealous estimations of the number of users becomes a reality.
Pamela McColl, Vancouver
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Your editorial has it right. Legalization will lead the country down uncharted paths. One possible consequence is the fortuitous juxtaposition of the date of legalization, Oct. 17, and Queen’s University Homecoming that weekend.
Now, local police will have their hands full not with people roaring drunk and misbehaving, but falling asleep on streets and at intersections. And as liquor outlets rue lost drinking revenue, supermarkets will reap the reward of unprecedented sales of munchies.
Geoff Smith, Kingston
Huawei and rights
Canada does not appear to be worried about the U.S. claim that Huawei Technologies’ partnerships with American universities are a threat to national security (U.S. Lawmakers Urge Probe Of Huawei’s Research On Campuses – June 21). The Globe and Mail has reported that “Canadian university professors and researchers have transferred full rights to their inventions to Huawei in 40 instances.” Huawei suggests the U.S. call for an investigation was not necessary, attributing the concern in the U.S. to “complexities that exist in global politics.”
Given the billions of tax dollars transferred to Canadian universities by federal and provincial governments, what “rights” do the universities and the public retain as part of these arrangements? Governments have a right to ask for a copy of agreements between Huawei and the public institutions where the research is done.
Doug Auld, Puslinch, Ont.
Sex-selective abortions
Re Sex-Selective Abortions Still A Trend Within South Asian Communities, Study Suggests (June 22): The information in this article is troublesome. It’s revolting to learn that this abhorrent practice continues on for some second-generation women of South Asian ancestry. Unfortunately this numerically rare but statistically significant fact might fuel current populist trends against immigrants, particularly South Asian immigrants, who constitute a large and diverse community.
Also, the article does not include an equally important statistical question: What is the difference in these practices between generations? I would bet good money that this despicable practice is significantly less likely in the second generation.
Veena Dwivedi, St. Catharines, Ont.
Kids’ unthinkable trauma
Donald Trump may have bowed to pressure on the separation of immigrant children from families, but in exposing them to this unthinkable trauma, he has created enduring damage to their mental health and development. He has set them on a downward spiral with tragic personal and societal costs. As a leading children’s mental health centre in Toronto, we know: We see the impact of childhood trauma every day.
The results of a recent meta-analysis indicate that, on average, 16 per cent of children and adolescents exposed to a traumatic event demonstrate full PTSD.
When children are separated from parents or primary care-givers, they are denied that critical attachment piece which allows them to develop secure, positive and close relationships, which are imperative for the ability to thrive. Children who do not receive this nurturing attachment feel frightened, abandoned, hurt or angry. To help them cope, they develop a range of strategies, such as acting out and challenging authority, which can spiral into violence, cutting, self-medication, crime and withdrawal. These behaviors often continue even after they are back in loving families.
Without appropriate, timely intervention, traumatic childhood experiences can result in enduring adult mental health problems. What are the chances of these children ever receiving the treatment they will so desperately need to help mitigate the damage that’s been done? This atrocious, unconscionable deed will never be gone – these children’s lifelong suffering will see to that.
Seana Massey, director of development, George Hull Centre for Children and Families, Toronto
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Melania Trump returns from a visit to a centre for child migrants wearing a jacket with “I really don’t care. Do you?” stamped on the back. I guess the store didn’t have the “Let them eat cake” coat in her size?
Linda Smith, Kingston
Challenging comparison
Re The EU Melting Pot Is Melting Down (June 18): Niall Ferguson dismisses those who believe it is “possible for Christians and Muslims to co-exist peacefully in a secular, post-Christian Europe” and suggests comparing “the situation of Moroccans in Belgium with that of Mexicans in California.” Matching Moroccan-Americans against Mexican-Americans would be fairer. A Migration Policy Institute study shows Moroccan-American households earn $45,000/year vs. $37,390 for Mexican-American households.
Yes, this is a misleading “apples vs. oranges” comparison because education levels and other household characteristics differ. But it’s not as misleading as the comparison proposed by Prof. Ferguson.
Adil A. Sayeed, Toronto
The not-Roseanne show
It looks like ABC considered a few ways of dealing with Roseanne Barr’s embarrassing, some would say shameful, tweet. The Connors, a spin-off of Roseanne, will proceed but without the original show’s title character. It’s the best decision Barr none.
Ken DeLuca, Arnprior, Ont.