Cannabis crackdown

As somebody who supports experiments with drug legalization, these kinds of stories interest me: Dutch Government to Weigh Cannabis Clamp Down.

The debate is ongoing. And I'm eager to see our European friends' experiment with drug legalization work out.

Quite simply, I think "The Drug War" is a waste of time and resources. Interdiction ends up driving up prices, which serve as a powerful incentive to smugglers and dealers. The drug cartels - and the drug dealers - fear the massive price decreases that would come about with some degree of legalization.

I'm not that frightened of my neighbor buying a joint at a liquor store and smoking it in his backyard. And if the cost of that joint offsets the taxes I pay for my local schools, so much the better.

With harder drugs, there must be a way to get hard core addicts into programs where their use can be controled and moderated. Free drugs would be a potent lure to such treatment programs, and it would free addicts of the need to commit crimes in order to feed their habits.

Less crime.
Decimated drug lords.
Treated addicts.
Happily stoned hippies, discussing the plot twists of Simpsons episodes for hours on end.
And extra tax money for politicians to waste?

What's not to like about that?
- posted by total @ 4/08/2004 06:05:00 AM .