Posted on 09/13/2002 7:18:24 AM PDT by MrLeRoy
What do you think the chances are that Canadian legislators will take heed of the Canadian Senate's recommendations to completely legalize the possession of marijuana?
Pretty slim, in our opinion, and that's too bad.
The Senate said marijuana should be legalized, regulated and taxed in Canada, citing the enormous damage done by the laws that currently make it a criminal offence to possess it. Rather than making the situation better, they said, the current prohibition has done great harm by criminalizing the estimated one million regular marijuana users and providing a lucrative product for the forces of organized crime.
"Canadians from every walk of life told us loud and clear that we should not be imposing criminal records on users or unduly prohibiting personal use of cannabis," the Senate report said. The report also called for amnesty to be granted to the 600,000 Canadians who have wound up with criminal records because of being busted for pot possession.
However, for the Liberal government to take the appropriate action recommended in the Senate report would require more political courage than the current administration seems to possess. Quite apart from fearing they will look like they condone drug use, the federal government knows that the Americans under George W. Bush would frown very heavily indeed upon legalization of marijuana. We doubt they have the cojones to do what has to be done.
As a result, Canadian taxpayers will continue to shell out the estimated $700 million to $1 billion in policing and court costs to investigate, arrest and prosecute people who choose to utilize a substance that is far less dangerous than either alcohol or tobacco, both of which are fully legal.
And organized crime will continue to get rich, just as they did during the alcohol prohibition days.
State the enormous damage done by the laws against murder.
No need to assume anything---the damage is described in the article's very next sentences:
"the current prohibition has done great harm by criminalizing the estimated one million regular marijuana users [who have violated nobody's rights - MrLeRoy] and providing a lucrative product for the forces of organized crime.
"'Canadians from every walk of life told us loud and clear that we should not be imposing criminal records on users or unduly prohibiting personal use of cannabis,' the Senate report said."
None of these are applicable to murder. Murderers do violated others' rights, laws against murder do not enrich organized crime, and citizens are not losing respect for the law due to the illegality of murder.
Why not go back to the "law of the west," where anyone can do anything?
Actions that violate others' rights should be illegal. Drug use is not such an action.
You'd have to define what you meant by "interfere." My position is that drug use does not interfere with others in any way that justifies restricting individuals' rights to put what they want into their own bodies.
Yeah, if he hadn't had those three beers his daughter would probably still be alive. Alcohol should be banned.
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