Thursday, April 30, 2015

Why I am against the drug war

Sharka Todd + 2001 (film)

I am against the drug war because I believe the individual should have the freedom to partake of the fruits of the earth in their own way and of their own choosing.  And this includes those things created in a science lab, such as the drugs MDMA (Ecstasy), LSD and ketamine, which have been shown to be useful for personal development.

A free market in these things would help drive the market towards the provision of safer and more effective forms of these substances, if that is the desire of consumers.  This may help reduce some of the negative effects the outlawing of mind-alterants has, which includes poor, unsafe, adulterated and unreliable products, unwanted deaths through inadvertent overdose, lengthy prison sentences and lives ruined for those caught up in the trade, and the empowering of criminal elements in society.

The legalizing of drugs would not erase the dangers of addiction and misuse which currently exist but through access to accurate, unbiased information on individual drugs and safe use, and the provision of support services for users who need them, these negatives could be minimized.

Meanwhile, the whole process would be under the control of society rather than being run by rogue criminal elements, and would therefore be more transparent and able to be changed to suit evolving community ideas.

Sharka Todd

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