Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site dciem.UUCP Path: utzoo!dciem!mmt From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: New Reason to overhaul drug laws Message-ID: <1374@dciem.UUCP> Date: Sat, 9-Feb-85 18:54:22 EST Article-I.D.: dciem.1374 Posted: Sat Feb 9 18:54:22 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 9-Feb-85 22:19:38 EST References:Reply-To: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) Distribution: net Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada Lines: 17 Summary: A few years ago, there was a major Royal Commission on drugs, called the LeDain Commission. They concluded that there should be no laws against possession of any drug whatever, but that certain drugs should carry penalties for sale. Where a drug is physiologically more dangerous than some threshold, this seems like a sensible approach. It is clear that laws against possession have only two main effects: to finance the Mafia, and to create delons of otherwise law-abiding citizens. Neither of these effects are good. A third possible effect is to increase to use of harmful drugs, but I think there might be some argument about that one. -- Martin Taylor {allegra,linus,ihnp4,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt {uw-beaver,qucis,watmath}!utcsrgv!dciem!mmt