Anyway, the ACLU hosted a discussion forum about the War on Drugs in Vermont yesterday. Lawyers and cops sparred over the subject. (Spar is such an excellent word.) One of the sparrers had an interesting proposal, which brings me to:
It's time for another Good Idea, Bad Idea.
GOOD IDEA: Legalizing marijuana. (Cartoon civilians are released from prison while cartoon scientists conduct research, cartoon patients recieve medication, cartoon policies quit being invasive and disrespectful, and cartoon communities become safer with the absence of black market crime. Mr. Skullhead saves cartoon tax dollars.)
BAD IDEA: Instituting the death penalty for heroin and cocaine dealers. (Cartoon executions galore, no cartoon reduction in the cartoon supply or cartoon demand for cartoon cocaine and heroin or the amount of cartoon dealers and users and addicts. Mr. Skullhead, naturally, dies a grisly cartoon death.)
THE END.
What? Back up a little. Who came up with this Good Idea, Bad Idea?
Barre Mayor Thomas Lauzon, a public accountant who was elected in May 2006... recently came out in support of legalizing marijuana and instituting the death penalty for heroin and cocaine dealers.... Oh. Um. Um. I like the legalizing marijuana because the drug war has been ineffective and its harms far exceed the harms of the drug itself bit. But, um, the uh, second part, well, um, I don't think he really thought that one through.
As a whole, though, it's an interesting spar, and I don't mean a stout pole such as that used for masts.
1 comment:
I strongly suspect that the DEA may try to "defuse" the anti drug war sentiment by legalizing marijuana. I also strongly suspect that they will await the time when other drugs will produce enough people to pack our prisons.
Legalizing marijuana will have negligible effect on the potency and harms from addiction or abuse. It will take significant revenue from alcohol sales but if Coors "diversifies" into marijuana sales that may not be much. However, if we keep cocaine and meth illegal - with all the new designer versions emerging on the street we will have more disasters.
On a side note: if smoked caffeine ever hits the streets [Buzz LightYear is my name] before 2010 will we ever remember the morning cup of coffee ritual by 2030? The way the media loses our history with impunity, I would not be at all surprised.
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