segunda-feira, 10 de maio de 2010

War on (some) drugs

Edmonton Journal

" Bill revived for minimum sentences on drug crimes," The Journal, May 6.
So, federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has decreed that it is a good use of tax money and police resources to track down people who grow five marijuana plants or fewer, drag them through the courts and give them six months in jail at our expense.
Politicians do not learn from their mistakes. They prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcohol from 1919 to 1933, and it was an unmitigated disaster. It created a crime wave, the likes of which had never been seen before, and not just because peaceful, otherwise law-abiding citizens became criminals with the stroke of a pen. It created a black market for liquor and spawned an unimaginable wave of criminal activities.
Have you noticed the crime rate rising in the illegal drug trade? The politicians never learn. They've declared war, of all the stupid ideas, on various plant extracts that are unpopular with neopuritans: cocaine, marijuana, heroin, etc. It's not a war on all drugs -- really dangerous drugs like Ritalin, Prozac, and scores of others are being actively promoted.
This war is just on recreational drugs -- and not even on all of them, just some of them.
All of these things were legal in the 19th century and were never serious problems. Sure, some people abused them, just like they do today. But they were cheap in a free market, and no one had to resort to crime to support their habit.
Drug addiction is a sad and terrible thing, but there would be less of it if kids were brought up right, and now a lot of fools want the government to do their job for them.
Depression also destroys lives. Shall we have that outlawed too? Overeating is a deadly vice, so busybodies are working to outlaw that, with laws against salt and fat. Smoking, which should be a property rights issue, is now going to be banned in parks.
I am tired of having my money squandered to promote the neopuritanical interests of elected officials.
Paul Champion, Calmar

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