Pubdate: Thu, 11 Jul 2013
Source: Daily Telegraph (Australia)
Copyright: 2013 News Limited
Contact: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/readers-comments
Website: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/113
Author: Nick
Page: 30

SMOKING A JOINT DOES NOT MAKE YOU A CRIMINAL

However strong your beliefs, it doesn't make economic sense to
incarcerate people for drug use.

Locking people up for such a "misdemeanour" is counterproductive, as
it costs the taxpayer more and reduces the number of taxpayers. Taxing
cannabis will provide money for school education campaigns on negative
aspects of its use, extra money for hospitals, roads and, importantly,
free up police resources.

In The Netherlands, which has legalised its use, fewer people use
cannabis than in Australia. Only "medicinal use" of cannabis is taxed
in California and it provides huge government income.

The war on drugs is an expensive waste of time which has never proven
to reduce demand.

Cameron Vey, of Warren, (July 9) describes people caught with cannabis
as offenders. How can someone unlucky enough to be caught with a joint
in their pocket to smoke in the privacy of their own home be so
offensive to his views that he labels them "offenders"? People will
always smoke weed, it's time to make them pay their share of taxes.

Nick (Surname withheld) Mona Vale
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MAP posted-by: Matt