Legalize Drugs!!!

[radha]

This is the most smartest doctor I have had the pleasure to read:

RECREATIONAL DRUGS SHOULD BE LEGALIZED
by Laurie Cook, MD Special To The Citizen, (Source:Prince George Citizen)
March 3, 2007

In a recent editorial, The Citizen discussed recreational drug use. I would like to take a contrary position and attempt to make a case for legalizing all recreational drugs, including marijuana, heroin, cocaine, crystal meth etc.

I do not question the harm that recreational drugs can cause, including the lack of motivation that often accompanies chronic marijuana use. My point is simply that criminalizing recreational drug use has not worked in the past 70 or so years that it has been tried. Recreational drug use has dramatically increased during this same period. In addition, criminalizing recreational drug use has created a large and hugely profitable industry which provides these drugs. Much crime is commited to finance users' habits.

Society does not criminalize alcohol consumption. Previous attempts to do so resulted in widespread disregard for the law and generated criminal empires. And these attempts did not work. Smokers are not criminals and the government aggressively promotes gambling. Both activities are widely accepted to be harmful and addicting. What about gasoline, hairspray and glue? All are used to "get high."

What is the downside of legalizing recreational drugs?

- -- Would recreational drug use increase? If so, where is the evidence for this? The Netherlands seems to be doing OK.

- -- Would drug-related crime increase as the RCMP would have us believe? Logic dictates the opposite.

- -- The U.S. would punish Canada for legalizing recreational drugs. I think this is quite likely, but I think also that the U.S. would get over it.

- -- Society would be "sending the wrong message." Fair enough, but what about alcohol, cigarettes and gambling? Maybe the right message is that the world is full of potentially harmful things and that personal choice and accountability are ultimately unavoidable.

What are the advantages of legalizing recreational drugs?

- -- Trafficking would cease to be profitable and would vanish.

- -- Drug-related crime would decrease as users needed less money to finance their drug purchases.

- -- Law-enforcement costs would fall significantly -- $370 million is spent annually in Canada for drug enforcement with much more spent on investigating crimes related to drug use.

- -- Court and prison costs would fall with fewer cases and fewer prisoners.

- -- Drug overdoses would become less frequent as drug strengths were standardized.

- -- If other western governments, notably the U.S., also legalized recreational drugs, drug-producing and transporting countries would become much easier to govern and much of the funding for world terrorism would end.

What should we do?

- -- Legalize all recreational drugs and make them available at low cost through government licensed outlets. Screen for underage customers. Most recreational drugs are extremely cheap to produce.

- -- Continue to make drug rehab programs available to those who want them.

- -- Take a serious, evidence-based look at the factors that lead to recreational drug use. Determine cause rather than association ( i.e. All heroin users used to drink milk. Does drinking milk lead to heroin use? Of course not ).

- -- Lobby other countries to legalize recreational drugs. The greatest benefits will result from widespread legalization.

- -- Accept that there will always be some people bent on self destruction in one way or another and that you cannot help someone who does not want to be helped.

Dr. Cook is a family physician in Prince George.


---
Dr. Cook makes the CMA and the police union look stupid. Why? Because their reason for keeping drugs illegal is based mainly on moral reasons. In short, they are replacing the Church as our nation's moral squad.

[radha]

Scrap the nonsense of drug laws and acknowledge the presence of "dangerous" drugs in our society as we have with alcohol and tobacco. Legalization would result in:

1. purity assurance under government regulation just like pharmaceuticals;
2. labeled concentration of the product (to avoid overdose);
3. obliteration of vigorous marketing ("pushers");
4. obliteration of drug crime and reduction of theft crime
5. savings in expensive enforcement and
6. significant tax revenues.

Effort and funds can then be directed to public education about the hazards of all drugs.


Can such a change of attitude happen? Probably not, because the huge illegal drug industry has mountains of money for a media blitz and for buying politicians to sing the songs of "evil" and "danger" which is certain to kill any legislative attempt at legalization.



Who knows? Maybe they've already bought off the DEA in the US and are behind the reason marijuana's imminent decriminalization was scrapped.


Perhaps it will take some time before reality can prevail.



Meanwhile we should at least do more to expose deception and to disseminate the truth:

Moderate use of "dangerous" drugs is relatively harmless for most people.

*The above opinion only applies to use of one drug in a pure form. It does not apply to multi-drug use.*

Thanks to Roe for pointing this out.