Pubdate: Thu, 13 Apr 2006
Source: Eye Magazine (CN ON)
Copyright: 2006 Eye Communications Ltd.
Contact:  http://www.eye.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/147
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n439/a05.html
Author: Ted Syperek
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

DECRIMINALIZING DOPE

Re "Up in smoke," Editorial, April 6: You are right. Banning 
marijuana makes no sense from a public-benefit point of view. But it 
does make sense from several other self-interested standpoints. 
First, of course, it makes the "Americans" happy, if by that we mean 
the professional political thugs who tend to hold office there, 
rather than the bulk of the people. Secondly, it has a local 
political appeal to those who believe that morality consists of 
telling other people what they cannot do. These make up Harper's 
supporters, and his alone, as all the other political parties are 
more civilized than that.

The most important reason is that it provides an excuse for 
maintaining a large standing army of police, with extraordinary 
powers of repression, and lots of expensive, invasive equipment. From 
our viewpoint as taxpayers, all that enforcement and legal expense is 
a waste; from theirs, it all goes to the right people. When 
"maintaining public order" means "doing things my way," you want to 
have lots of backup. And when you make illegal something that a 
majority of the population indulges in, you can almost always find an 
excuse to put someone away if you want to. And that is on top of the 
evils of raising the overall level of distrust and paranoia.

TED SYPEREK
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman