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Source: Manitoban, The (CN MB, Edu)
LEGALIZE IT - AND BY 'IT,' I MEAN 'ALL OF IT'
All Drugs Should Be Treated the Same As Marijuana
Commanding a majority of the seats in the House of Commons, and with the already-established support of the courts, there is no reason the incoming Liberal government cannot make good on its promise to legalize, tax, and regulate the sale of marijuana. The ending of the prohibition on marijuana is the proper time to reconsider our society's stance on other drugs as well.
Many drugs, like marijuana, are not illegal because they are inherently addictive or harmful - the arguments put forward as justification for the legalization of marijuana apply to them also. There is no reason ( other than the weight of tradition and old attitudes ) that a significant part of currently outlawed substances cannot be legalized, taxed, and sold.
Tobacco is the example par excellence of a reasonable drug model. Those who choose to use it are free to do so. Those who choose not to use it are free to do so. Its sale is prohibited to minors and tobacco smoke is outlawed in places where it would be a nuisance. Whatever you might think of smokers and smoking, it's a model that works for pretty much everyone, including the government, which derives ample revenue through taxation.
Alcohol is another example of a drug that is regulated and integrated into society, and one that bears particular importance when discussing the reasons for keeping drugs illegal. Alcohol is addictive, and in large amounts severely impairs the judgement of the user to the degree that they are more likely to harm themselves or others, and are a minor threat to society as a whole.
But we accept that the majority of people can responsibly consume alcohol; the issue is not alcohol itself, but people who use it inappropriately. For the sake of safeguarding our individual right to get drunk ( which is nothing more or less than altering your state of mind, as all drugs do ), we accept a small social burden of alcoholics and drunk drivers.
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LEGALIZE IT - AND BY 'IT,' I MEAN 'ALL OF IT'
All Drugs Should Be Treated the Same As Marijuana
Commanding a majority of the seats in the House of Commons, and with the already-established support of the courts, there is no reason the incoming Liberal government cannot make good on its promise to legalize, tax, and regulate the sale of marijuana. The ending of the prohibition on marijuana is the proper time to reconsider our society's stance on other drugs as well.
Many drugs, like marijuana, are not illegal because they are inherently addictive or harmful - the arguments put forward as justification for the legalization of marijuana apply to them also. There is no reason ( other than the weight of tradition and old attitudes ) that a significant part of currently outlawed substances cannot be legalized, taxed, and sold.
Tobacco is the example par excellence of a reasonable drug model. Those who choose to use it are free to do so. Those who choose not to use it are free to do so. Its sale is prohibited to minors and tobacco smoke is outlawed in places where it would be a nuisance. Whatever you might think of smokers and smoking, it's a model that works for pretty much everyone, including the government, which derives ample revenue through taxation.
Alcohol is another example of a drug that is regulated and integrated into society, and one that bears particular importance when discussing the reasons for keeping drugs illegal. Alcohol is addictive, and in large amounts severely impairs the judgement of the user to the degree that they are more likely to harm themselves or others, and are a minor threat to society as a whole.
But we accept that the majority of people can responsibly consume alcohol; the issue is not alcohol itself, but people who use it inappropriately. For the sake of safeguarding our individual right to get drunk ( which is nothing more or less than altering your state of mind, as all drugs do ), we accept a small social burden of alcoholics and drunk drivers.
Link:
