Sounds a bit topsy-turvy, doesn’t it? But it’s quite true – in a national vote last weekend the Swiss decided to make a controversial legal heroin program a permanent part of the country’s healthcare infrastructure, but rejected decriminalising cannabis. [image by Todd Huffman]
It’s a mixed blessing, I suppose. Hell knows the ‘war on drugs’ in the UK and the US has done absolutely nothing to eradicate the problem, and I guess if people are going to take smack then I’d rather they weren’t burgling my stuff to pay for it (as has happened). But it seems odd that people who can see the pragmatism in that idea seemingly can’t see the logic behind abandoning attempts to control the cultivation and consumption of a slightly psychoactive plant.
What say you, readers – should it be “no victim, no crime”, or should the law do its best to protect people from their own potentially self-harming choices?
I think that one reason is simply that heroin is harder to make, and can be regulated – and taxed – by the government. Anybody can grow their own grass – no revenue to the state.
That thought had occurred to me, Mike. 🙂
People can grow their own tobacco or distill their own liquor too, but most people buy it for convenience, even though those products can be pretty heavily taxed. If pot was legalized the same thing would probably happen.
i think its bullshit if they can legalize one of the most harmful drugs then why cant they legalize marijuana? its been proven nobody has EVER died from the use of marijuana yet millions of people die from heroin every year.