Tax cannabis, save the economy!

March 5, 2009 · Posted in Policy 

I was in the bank the other day when I ran into a nice fellow who ran for mayor of Victoria a few years back on a “legalize marijuana” platform.  Not exactly sure what that has to do with municipal politics, but that’s neither here nor there.

I joked with him that it must bother him that he is so mainstream now.  Like any true believer, he wasn’t phased by it.  His harm reduction club was thriving, and he was delighted to be helping so many people.  And he was standing in the business line-up at the bank with a smile on his face, so I suspect he’s doing OK, too.

The cover story of The Economist this week is called “How to stop the drug wars“.

In my opinion, this article is bang on.  It is high time for the world to deal with drug use as a health issue, not a criminal issue.

Marijuana should be regulated, sold in liquor stores and taxed like hell.

But hard drugs should also be legalized.  A reasonably-priced, non-contaminated supply prescribed to patients will be far healthier not only for the drug user, but for society as a whole (no reason to steal, no junkies dying in your driveway, no innocent bystanders being shot up by gangs, and a drug user in this scenario would be far more employable than now).

I was told my opinion on this would change when I had children; on the contrary, I am more confident than ever that this is the best solution for our society, and we are on the cusp of an important international meeting where this change is possible.

And forget about those half-hearted Liberal-style decriminalization policies.  I have argued in the past, and continue to believe, that decriminalization is a recipe for disaster – it only encourages youth (and others) to consort with criminals – and criminals do not limit themselves to marijuana – they push harder drugs, they trade in guns, prostitution, murder and so forth.

With the economy in the dumps, thousands dying and imprisoned, and billions spent trying to rid the world of drugs, perhaps it is time to try something else.

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Comments

  • NeilD

    I’m a father of three and I agree with you 100%.
    The War On Drugs has been lost and will only get worse.
    The RCMP are saying that the current gang wars in Vancouver are a direct result of a Mexican crack-down on drugs in that country and their war on drugs is financed to a large degree by the Americans.
    Farmers in Afghanistan are having their poppy crops destroyed (as dictated by the Americans) and are turning to the Taliban to earn enough money to feed their families.
    Enough already!
    Legalise drugs across the board, build more hospitals, train more medical staff and tax the crap out of everything.
    Alcohol prohibition didn’t work either.
    NeilD

  • http://www.dope-smoker.co.uk Dope Smoker

    Totally agree.

    Time for our governments to stop fucking around with they think is best and do something useful for once.

  • http://www.dope-smoker.co.uk Dope Smoker

    I missed out a word there.

    It was ‘what’ and came after ‘with’

  • http://canadianspades.blogspot.com Pearce Richards

    Agreed.

    Too bad not a single federal party (with elected representatives) holds this as policy. Every time it gets brought up at conventions it is shuttered by the party elite who worry about the negative optics of such a policy. “Won’t someone please think of the children?”

    Such is the mainstream opinion of cannabis users, despite over 50% of the population using at some point in their lives.