IT'S TIME TO LEGALIZE ALL DRUGS

I fear The Province editorial is confusing society with government
when it says "society must do everything in its power to prevent
people from trying [crack] in the first place."

Many, if not most, of society's rules are not enforced by government.
There is nothing in the Criminal Code that requires us to be polite to
one another or to help old ladies across the street. We obey such
rules not because we will be jailed or fined if we violate them, but
because we want our actions to be accepted by others and because we
have been taught to obey them.

Drug use should not be a criminal matter at all. Most recreational
drugs inflict harm on the user to some extent, but it makes little
sense to throw those who use certain drugs in jail.

And it makes even less sense to punish the users of some harmful drugs
while leaving alone the users of other harmful drugs.

By all means, let's work to reduce drug use by utilizing the tools of
persuasion that work so well with the rest of society's rules, and
let's legalize all drugs.

Alan Randell,

Victoria