Decriminalizing Drugs

There's always a report in the news these days concerning "illegal drugs," usually a report on some mega-bust by the police.

The other day in that rag The Toronto Sun there was a Letter to the Editor pointing out that decriminalizing drugs would shut off a major income source for gangs. The Editor thought it was preposterous to suggest decriminalizing drugs.

Why is it preposterous? It seems that when it comes to drugs, most people have blinders on. Do they imagine that somehow "everyone" would spend the whole day high on cocaine, heroin, pot - whatever and the entire society would collapse into chaos? What exactly is preposterous about decriminalizing all drugs?

First of all, the so-called hard drugs have valid uses. Consider the terminally ill, for whom access to high quality morphine, heroin and opium would be a blessing. Consider the many uses to which hemp has been shown to be appropriate. Consider the huge money saved investigating, prosecuting and imprisoning people for the "crime" of providing drugs to willing consumers.

As for marijuana, the hysteria against it is certainly hypocritical. I doubt there is a single individual who publicly decries the idea of legalizing pot, but yet goes home to enjoy a glass of wine or a shot of scotch, a cocktail - whatever. Why shouldn't those of us who would prefer to relax with something ingested via the lungs rather than via the liver or small intestine have our rights respected instead of persecuted and prosecuted?

Now another benefit that would emerge is the gradual (or maybe not that gradual) disappearance of what I think of as "icky" drugs like meth, crack, and other stuff that has been concocted precisely because real drugs are unavailable.

Other countries where drugs have been legalized and/or decriminalized have experienced a reduction in drug-related crime. When the high profits disappear which can only come from a desired product being made illegal, much of the crime that came with it also disappears.

Adults' choices in life should be respected by the government. Respect for the basic right to imbibe whatever poison one chooses ironically makes it less attractive to children and adults alike. A rights-respecting government tends to create more opportunities in all arenas of life, leading more people to want to spend less time in a daze, whether alcohol or drug-induced, and more time pursuing opportunities and living life to the fullest.