WAR ON (SOME) DRUGS

Re: " Bill revived for minimum sentences on drug crimes," The Journal, May 6.
So, federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson has decreed that it is a
good use of tax
money and police resources to track down people who grow five
marijuana plants or fewer,
drag them through the courts and give them six months in jail at our expense.

Politicians do not learn from their mistakes. They prohibited the
manufacture and sale of alcohol from 1919 to 1933, and it was an
unmitigated disaster. It created a crime wave, the likes of which had
never been seen before, and not just because peaceful, otherwise
law-abiding citizens became criminals with the stroke of a pen. It
created a black market for liquor and spawned an unimaginable wave of
criminal activities.

Have you noticed the crime rate rising in the illegal drug trade? The
politicians never learn. They've declared war, of all the stupid
ideas, on various plant extracts that are unpopular with neopuritans:
cocaine, marijuana, heroin, etc. It's not a war on all drugs -- really
dangerous drugs like Ritalin, Prozac, and scores of others are being
actively promoted.

This war is just on recreational drugs -- and not even on all of them,
just some of them.

All of these things were legal in the 19th century and were never
serious problems. Sure, some people abused them, just like they do
today. But they were cheap in a free market, and no one had to resort
to crime to support their habit.

Drug addiction is a sad and terrible thing, but there would be less of
it if kids were brought up right, and now a lot of fools want the
government to do their job for them.

Depression also destroys lives. Shall we have that outlawed too?
Overeating is a deadly vice, so busybodies are working to outlaw that,
with laws against salt and fat. Smoking, which should be a property
rights issue, is now going to be banned in parks.

I am tired of having my money squandered to promote the neopuritanical
interests of elected officials.

Paul Champion, Calmar