War on Drugs and a War for Drugs
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| Cannabis |
Our planet produces some drugs of plant and synthetic
chemical origin that have simultaneous medicinal and recreational use. For
brevity we shall just call these drugs in this note as in common parlance but
as different from other substances that have exclusive medicinal use only such
as antibiotics that are not included in this note.
Because of their recreational use, there is possibility of
misuse of drugs. Some are highly addictive and some that can kill in excess
dose as indeed even alcohol can but much sooner. It is because of such dangers that
laws have been instituted around the world to control production, consumption
and distribution of drugs. But demand for these drugs continues. As a result, a
world wide illegal trade has developed around drug sales involving crime
syndicates, drug mafia, corruption of state actors and gang wars leading to
huge numbers of deaths and crime. So fearful has been the ensuing violence in
some countries that thousands of minors have been compelled to flee their homes
in Central America and seek refuge in other
countries they can find their way to.
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| Ephedra |
At times and places in the world when alcohol was made
illegal, it too sponsored crime and most countries now permit production, sale
and consumption of alcohol with some controls. A time has come for the world to
consider legalizing many drugs too and replace existing criminal laws that
surround them with other forms of controls so as to end crime, corruption and
violence that surrounds existing laws on drugs.
The most worrisome aspect of making drugs illegal is that it then becomes a highly profitable albeit illegal business. As in any business that is profitable, use of these drugs is then promoted by business, again through illegal means, such as agents providing free samples to potential victims until they become addicts
While a huge lobby of common folk, scientists and
intellectuals has emerged in the world that is calling out for legalization of
drugs, there is also another powerful one that wishes to continue with existing
practices, some because they profit from it. According to UN, more than half of illegal drug trade is in cannabis and if it was made legal as it used to be in prior
centuries, the illegal business and crime surrounding it would collapse. Then there is the legal
drug industry that provides some medicinal compounds at obscene profits which would
have no use once cannabis becomes legally and freely available. It is a weed
that cannot be patented for profit. These profitable industries feed law makers
and government agencies that make laws and even persist with lies in official
documents despite much scientific evidence such as cannabis has no medicinal
value.
However, lies have a limited life and as truth begins to asserts once
again, the world can hope to see a legalization of many drugs now considered
illegal. Such moves have already begun in countries such as Uruguay, Portugal
and in parts of US and Europe to different
degrees and in time will spread to the rest of the world.
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| Opium |
A Useful Classification
While the world considers legalizing drugs, it is worth debating what kind of new controls would be necessary. For this purpose it is highly useful to divide all drugs in three categories A, B and C as follow
While the world considers legalizing drugs, it is worth debating what kind of new controls would be necessary. For this purpose it is highly useful to divide all drugs in three categories A, B and C as follow
- Drugs of plant origin with minimal processing such as cleaning, drying etc.
- Refined extracts from plant origin that may be isolated compounds or a highly concentrated group of compounds
- Drugs of purely chemical origin discovered in a lab
As regards drugs of category A, the permitted ones could be
sold through existing alcohol stores in branded small packages with similar
controls and taxation as alcoholic drinks. However, drugs like cannabis that are
not addictive could be sold elsewhere too as indeed it was for centuries
without causing any serious problem.
Drugs of Category B, because they are far more potent, may be sold on prescription through
chemists and pharmacies with similar controls as with other medicine
Drugs of Category C needs to be completely banned as ones
with great potential harm, hopefully when drugs from other two categories are
available there would be little use for these.
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| Cocaine Plant |
Financial Benefit
Countries that legalize drugs would derive two kind of
financial benefits. First they would save money of unnecessary law enforcement;
secondly they would collect tax revenues as they do with alcohol and tobacco at
present. Some of these revenues may then be used for education programs about
potential harm and some for addiction treatment centers. The profits that now go to crime syndicates and corrupt state actors would then be go towards public good. The greatest benefit for mankind would
however be in getting rid of crimes and availability of medicines for conditions
that cannot be treated with existing medicines such as epilepsy in children and
a host of other conditions for adults
that cannot be dealt with in this brief note presently but are widely known,
FIRST STEP: While various countries debate the legalization of drugs, a first step is essential, the decriminalization of possession and consumption of drugs, at the most fines may be considered as civil offenses similar to traffic offenses. Similarly the production of natural herbal drugs too must be decriminalized and treated at the most with fines. In any case cannabis comes up as wild weed and everyone grows poppy for the flower garden. Criminal offenses must however be retained for production of drugs of synthetic chemical origin.
FIRST STEP: While various countries debate the legalization of drugs, a first step is essential, the decriminalization of possession and consumption of drugs, at the most fines may be considered as civil offenses similar to traffic offenses. Similarly the production of natural herbal drugs too must be decriminalized and treated at the most with fines. In any case cannabis comes up as wild weed and everyone grows poppy for the flower garden. Criminal offenses must however be retained for production of drugs of synthetic chemical origin.
UPDATE October 20, 2015:
Good News is that Justin Trudeau has just become the new PM of Canada and he has thoughts similar to those expressed in this note. The world should now see legalization of cannabis in Canada and with that example in many more countries of the world soon.
UPDATE: Nov 7, 2015
While efforts to legalize Marijuana/Cannabis are being debated in many different parts of the world presently, the following new note adds useful information for that debate is a simple and comprehensive manner:
http://steamcenter.blogspot.in/2015/11/on-legalization-of-marijuana-cannabis.html
Image sources in order of appearance
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Colcoca03.jpg
Comments
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