Pubdate: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 Source: Lac du Bonnet Leader (CN MB) Copyright: 2008 Lac du Bonnet Leader Contact: http://cgi.bowesonline.com/pedro.php?id=211&x=contact Website: http://www.lacdubonnetleader.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2956 Author: Marc Zienkiewicz SINGER PAGE VICTIM OF FLAWED SYSTEM Barenaked Ladies lead singer Steven Page was arrested by police in New York state late last week after allegedly being caught with a substance that tested positive for cocaine. Oh, the horror! Page now faces drug charges and will have to go through a ridiculous series of legal hoops that keep lawyers in business and do nothing to benefit the public at large, other than to give us a little entertainment for a few days until someone else famous gets caught with an illegal substance. The hatchet job on Page has started already. Newspaper stories this week reported that fans are "shocked" and "disappointed" upon hearing the news. Media outlets are playing up the fact that the Barenaked Ladies recently released a children's album, and are due to perform at a children's-themed event in Long Island, N.Y., next month. The insinuation, of course, is that Page is now somehow a negative influence on kids because he allegedly possessed a recreational drug, and that he's a hypocrite for singing children's songs in public and allegedly possessing drugs in private. What a pile of horse dung. The media circus now surrounding Page is nothing but a smear campaign perpetrated by the defenders of North America's nonsensical drug laws. The trend echoes the same one that reared its ugly head during prohibition of alcohol in the U.S. and also in Canada's prairie provinces in the early 20th century. Drinkers were labeled as social deviants, whose morals were corroded with every drop of booze they consumed. Those who drank were mean, dishonest, and irresponsible. Dads who enjoyed alcohol were branded as unfit fathers. Many a citizen was shamed publicly by the media and the legal system if caught imbibing, and all in the name of a silly temperance movement that caused more problems than it claimed it was solving. Page finds himself caught in the same witch hunt, only our present version of Prohibition targets the supposedly dangerous, irresponsible, deviant citizens of North America who enjoy recreational drugs in private. It's no secret that Canadian and American drug laws are a complete failure. The result of drug prohibition in America has resulted in overcrowded prisons, countless ruined lives, and millions of wasted taxpayer dollars. As Dr. Diane Riley of the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy notes, drug prohibition has led to the worldwide illegal drug industry growing to an estimated annual worth of $400 billion, "fueling organized crime, corrupting governments, increasing violence and distorting economic markets. In many parts of the world, the war on drugs results in the spread of infections (e.g. HIV), violations of human rights, damaged environments and prisons filled with drug offenders convicted of simple possession." Criminalizing drug use has done nothing to prevent crime or reduce their use. There's actually ample evidence out there to suggest drug prohibition actually increases drug abuse, rather than reducing it. Still, citizens are told that drug prohibition is a good thing. It protects us and our children, we're told by lazy politicians and law enforcement officials whose job it is to maintain the status quo. Sadly, people like Page are caught in this system and have their lives and careers potentially damaged for no good reason. According to the official police story, Page and two women were allegedly caught with cocaine in a New York apartment after officers discovered a car with an open door in the driveway of a home. While investigating the vehicle, officers said they observed a man and a woman sitting inside an apartment with a "white capsule" before them. How these police officers went from investigating a car to apparently peering through people's apartment windows is so far unclear. Page has plead not guilty and is scheduled to appear in an American court at the end of August. With any luck, the charges will be dropped. Celebrities often get off easy when it comes to drug charges, which highlights even more the inequality that results from the system of drug prohibition that's in place. Even if he is cleared of all charges or let off with a slap on the wrist, the damage to Page's career could be irreparable. Drug prohibition proponents have been successful in painting anyone associated with drugs as social pariahs, and many citizens still buy into this false and dishonest message. Still, there is hope. Support for an end to drug prohibition is mounting. Columnists like the Ontario-based Gwynne Dyer have called for the legalization of all drugs. In fact, Dyer estimates that the current system of drug prohibition will end within the next five decades, as policy makers slowly realize the current system cannot possibly be maintained. In the mean time, people like Page will continue to be wrapped up in ridiculous legal messes while taxpayers fund legal systems and police agencies that keep drug prohibition alive. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom