cannabisnews.com: The Wrong Drug Front The Wrong Drug Front Posted by CN Staff on November 28, 2002 at 21:16:36 PT By Dan Goldenblatt Source: Ha`aretz Daily Every few days, we hear how the IDF and police successfully intercepted a drug shipment at the Lebanese or Egyptian borders. These successes should be applauded, even though security officials admit that they catch less than 10 percent of the drugs smuggled into the country. At the same time, along the Hatzbani River and the coast of the Sea of Galilee, and at Israeli colleges and universities, hundreds of law-abiding citizens are apprehended each year because of fondness for the cannabis plant (marijuana and hashish). Most of these citizens, who come from all segments of Israeli society, are left with a criminal record that makes them ineligible for employment in the civil service. In the eyes of the state, they have become criminals. The attitude toward cannabis in the world, especially in Europe, is rapidly changing. This is not only true of lenient countries like Holland. The list of countries that have revised their policy toward cannabis includes Switzerland, Portugal, Belgium, and the latest entry - England. The aspiration for legalization of cannabis should not only be the concern of smokers. In the aforementioned countries, legalization has led to a reduction in crime and enabled resources to be channeled to far more pressing social problems. It has eased the burden on police and helped to focus on the struggle against hard drugs. Legalization in Israel would enable local production of cannabis, thus eliminating a source of income for major drug dealers (and perhaps hurting the financial status of organizations hostile to Israel.) Legalization would also correct a grave medical injustice - patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, and other illnesses would be able to use one of the oldest and most effective treatments. In addition, an enlightened approach to cannabis would actually reduce its use because it would no longer hold an attraction as a forbidden substance. The War on Drugs Authority insists for some curious and irresponsible reason on investing great resources on cannabis. One of its expensive campaigns concentrates solely on marijuana and hashish, completely ignoring other illicit drugs that pose a danger to many more users - ecstasy, for example. The Authority demonstrates a lack of credibility and engages in demagoguery and fear mongering when it declares, "There are no soft drugs - only heavy damage to society." There is a difference between soft and hard drugs. In the entire history of the war on drugs, there is no evidence of even one death resulting from the use of cannabis. Researchers and experts, including Judge Francis Young of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), have noted countless times that cannabis is hundreds of times less dangerous than other substances available for purchase at any pharmacy without a doctor's prescription - aspirin, for example. The Authority, and its director-general Haim Messing, is also wrong in its approach to ecstasy, which too many young people are taking. The Authority insists that whoever takes ecstasy is endangering his or her life; Messing refuses to provide reliable information about this drug. This information, which the Authority has at its disposal, could significantly reduce the dangers in using this drug. Those who claim that providing such information is tantamount to legitimizing drug usage are mistaken. Anyone who has taken ecstasy frequently knows that it causes serious bodily and emotional damage. Several years ago, notices were posted at the entrances to nightclubs in England explaining the positive and negative affects of the pill. This approach succeeded in substantially reducing the number of fatalities from ecstasy use. In a society in which the public good and public health are supposed to be considered when making decisions, policy makers would do well to rethink their attitudes on the problem of drugs. They should push aside the web that has been spun over the years and recognize that it is a social and health problem rather than a criminal one. We should learn from the experience of other countries and bring in non-establishment groups to help formulate messages in this area. And we should stop unnecessary, costly and failed war being waged by the War on Drugs Authority and the Prime Minister's Office. Attorney Dan Goldenblatt is the secretary-general of the Green Leaf Party. Source: Ha`aretz Daily (Israel)Author: Dan GoldenblattPublished: November 28, 2002 Copyright: 2002 Ha`aretz Contact: feedback haaretz.co.ilWebsite: http://www.haaretzdaily.com/CannabisNews - Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 28, 2002 at 22:16:56 PT Hi legalizeit Sorry for the mess. I'm hoping it will soon stop. If I didn't do CNews I wouldn't post anything while this is happening. Hang in there. It will get better I'm sure. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by legalizeit on November 28, 2002 at 22:09:24 PT (cough cough) Has the smoke cleared yet? It's been a few days since I visited C-News and it looks like lots of ugly and disturbing things have been going on. Though I am not surprised (infighting, trolling and bitching about inconsequential details are unfortunate but human aspects of any gathering of people, be it in real or cyber space), it saddens me to see C-News going down this road. It seemed like we had a really good team of regular commentators and intelligent discussion, and the lack of petty personal attacks and related goings-on was one of the reasons I frequented C-News and participated in the commentary.To be honest, what I have been reading makes me a bit reticent to post on the site, but I will still post from time to time if I see a news story that ruffles my feathers.I haven't been around consistently enough to know all the details (nor do I really want to; I am not a gossip), but I will say that it's a shame that DANA/dddd/pppp/qqqq/bbbb/etc. wore out his welcome because I always enjoyed reading his emphatic posts and interesting punctuation.I would like to commend FoM for the work on this vital site and her heroic efforts to moderate what appears to have become a mess only rivaled by what is going on in our government.I totally agree that censorship is the last thing anyone here wants, but everything has its limits and obviously for FoM to have reacted in this manner someone (or someones) really went over the line and FoM's actions were most likely justified.I hope that C-News rides out this storm in fine fashion and continues its mission. Infighting and fragmentation of the legalization movement is just what DEAth and all the other pinheads want. We cannot let this happen! We are slowly but surely winning against the Thugs in D.C. and must stand united if we are to continue our successes!Hope all had a great Turkey (or Tofurkey) Day! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment