I’m taking what is generally the unpopular stance. I think it’s time we start to think about the war on drugs. I’m also not just talking about marijuana, I mean all of them.
My first objection to the war on drugs is that the government calls it exactly that, a war. Government usually, in times of war, takes extra liberties that often intrude on our lives. In the case of a war on drugs, our government is waging a war against its own people.
My next objection is the best reason to legalize drug use. It is simply not the government’s job to regulate, criminalize and punish people for their personal habits. In my opinion, there is no justification, no matter how tragic drug use is, for the government to force people to change personal habits. This is coming from a man who has never had a single puff from a marijuana joint. The government should not, and does not have a right to criminalize a person’s beliefs and habits regardless of how morally questionable the activity is as long as no one is on the receiving end of a crime.
To show a certain level of government hypocrisy, cigarettes and alcohol, by far the most common drugs in use, are taxed for revenue by government and some provinces (mine included) have monopoly control on the sale of liquor. In fact, I have the right to get completely blind, stumbling drunk, as long as I don’t harm anyone. That is exactly the way it should be for any country that is free.
I do not approve of drug use and I would ask anyone who is a user to look long and hard at how it is affecting them. I just don’t think it should be considered a crime when so many things we do can be considered detrimental to us and our families. It’s a moral issue, not a criminal issue, and should be dealt with through community involvement and other organizations who want to help these people.
Taxpayer’s money should not be used to fight a war that we simply can not win. When you criminalize something that people want you create a black market and unbelievable profits. Al Capone didn’t build his empire when alcohol was legal; he did it during the prohibition. The war on drugs has made drugs expensive, and has provided profits for dealers. You can bust one car load of drugs but there are 10 more behind it because there will always be people who are ready to profit from it.
My third point, is that the war on drugs also creates secondary crime. The drug profits are a surefire way to finance gangs who use violence to keep their turf to themselves. How many heavy drug users resort to prostitution as a way to pay for their drugs? We all know the answer. Addicts look to desperate measures to get enough money for their next hit.
This secondary crime creates criminals even though the drugs they are after should not be illegal. How full are the prisons in Canada? I would like to know how many of the prisoners are there for drug, and secondary crime related cases. Perhaps legalizing drugs would reduce the secondary crime and keep the people in prison who really need to be there for their full terms.
I, like most, hate the idea of people using drugs. But lets allow these people to search for help without feeling like they are criminals and we can perhaps reduce the incidence of the offshoot crime that results from the black market trade of drugs. It’s clear that the war will not end, no matter how much taxpayer money we throw at the problem.
No comments:
Post a Comment