I think many of the drug laws are far too harsh.
I also think "possession" laws are antithetical to individual and civil liberties. If law enforcement can show direct evidence that person sold (or bought) the drugs that were found, it would be more understandable to have tougher punishments.
Godstud wrote:If drugs are illegal, then don't break the law. Play stupid games. Win stupid prizes.
In my opinion, saying that people knew what the law was so that justifies the tough punishment, does not justify the punishment. Especially when talking about harsher punishments for less obvious things.
(we're not talking about rape, murder, or robbery)
If I try to rob you and threaten to shoot you unless you give me your money, and you do not hand over the money so I shoot you, that does not make me shooting you much less bad.
I don't think cannabis (marijuana) is an "innocent" drug. True, in some ways it might be less bad than tobacco and alcohol, but overall I think it is worse. Obviously it is not anywhere near as bad as most of the other illegal drugs.
I do not approve of people habitually smoking it, but the Libertarian side of me is hesitant to advocate government intervention (or harsh intervention).
I also have a feeling that most of the people who are most enthusiastic about cannabis are the segment in society who should probably NOT be using it.
Another issue is that hemp was once traditionally widely used in older times to make clothes and fabric. It used to be more common than cotton and has a some advantages. Hemp is the same plant as cannabis but with far lower levels of the active substance THC. In many places hemp grows wild.
The original reason the U.S. made cannabis illegal was due to the perception it was being used by the Mexican ethnicity and responsible for many of the problems of this immigrant group. After that, many other countries in the world followed the lead of the U.S., like with so many other policies.
The U.S. had some pretty harsh laws and punishments against cannabis in the 1980s. Especially in certain states. As far back as the 50s it was seen as socially unacceptable and dangerous, likely to lead to ruin of a person's life, similar to alcoholism but worse. In the late 80s schools were trying to warn children not to use it.
In the U.S. there is now mounting evidence of certain problems in areas where cannabis use is high. Some social problems that can be traced to it, higher rates of theft, homelessness, psychotic breakdowns, and car accidents resulting in injury and higher insurance costs for everyone.
(I'm saying this from anecdotal observation, being in an area where an estimated 1 out of 5, to 1 out of 4 people in the population are using it. It's become more popular than cigarettes. I'd also estimate it's responsible for about 20% of the homeless blight downtown)