The Decriminalization of Marijuana

The Left has said it; The Right has said it; the War on Drugs has been lost. We have met the enemy, and it is us (Pogo said it). And it seems that we are not content to just lose the war, but our souls too. Shades of Viet Nam . . .

It is stupid to have laws that cannot be enforced. Drug laws are broken so consistently and openly that the contempt for that particular set of laws extends to every law, the good ones and the bad ones. The ones against speeding, beating your neighbor, killing strangers.

It is stupid to have laws based on national morality. Drug use is essentially a moral issue, as is the use of alcohol. Laws based on moral issues will inevitably fail in a free society, for when they succeed, that society is no longer free.

I am personally against drug use in any form, not because of the legality, but because of the stupidity. Most of us just barely have enough intelligence to succeed in today's world. Those that impair their intelligence with drugs are much more likely to end up needing me and my tax dollars to take care of them and their offspring. And drugs promote stupid and dangerous activities, like fighting and driving while impaired.

Drug use is market-driven. There is a huge profit is making, distributing and selling drugs. If it were not profitable to hook school children on drugs, it wouldn't happen. If drugs were legally distributed, those loonies wouldn't have to steal and kill to get money to buy drugs; a part-time job flipping burgers would suffice.

A big reason teens use drugs is precisely because of their illegality. It's really cool to be "man" enough (Politically correct: person enough) to defy society and it's laws, especially when the chances of getting caught are nil. A least half of the high is probably based on the adrenaline effect.

The amount of money spent on "fighting" drugs would be better used making our society a better place to live. The patrol-persons could be protecting my house and possessions and not watching crack-houses. They could be after criminals, not 75% of the teenagers in the neighborhood.

Sell and regulate marijuana thru the same channels as tobacco. It will be illegal for anyone under 18 years old to buy or use tobacco or marijuana, just as it is illegal for them to buy or use tobacco now.

And the world will finally be perfect.