SHADES OF HITLER WITH DRUG POLICY

Re: Pot cookies, pot butter: lingo of compassionate Cannabis Buyers Club
(News Weekender, April 26)

Let's step back a bit. Why do governments prohibit certain drugs? Is it to
protect users from harm?

No, that can't be the reason because users suffer more (adulterated drugs
and jail time) when a drug is banned as compared to when it is legally
available.

My wife and I became well acquainted with this aspect of government policy
when we lost our 19-year-old son to street heroin in 1993.

Besides, two of our more dangerous drugs, alcohol and tobacco, are legal.
Is it to reduce the crime associated with illegal drugs?

No, that can't be the reason because banning a drug always gives rise to
more crime (drug cartels, petty crimes by users as prohibition makes drug
prices much higher, violent disputes between dealers) than when the drug is
legally available.

Is it to distract attention away from more important issues by conducting a
brutal, Hitler-like pogrom to ruin the lives of the innocent few who ingest
or sell certain drugs - with the additional "benefit" of allowing our
politicians and cops the pleasure of strutting and preening before us as
they promise to ride out like St. George and slay the fearsome and deadly
dragon of drugs while sticking the taxpayer with the cost of bigger budgets
and free drugs for our police officers? Bingo.

Hitler's armies may have lost the war but, sadly, his ideas seem to have
found ready acceptance all across the "civilized" world.

Alan Randell,
Victoria