Right Behind You!
We're sick and tired of having to cope with people's inanity, their inability to make life choices, their deliberate moves to succumb to self-destruction. Drugs, "recreational" (ha!) drugs, the scourge of any society. Trouble is, people just don't know when to stop. Looking for those big adrenalin rushes, one way or another. Coping with despair, with life's disappointments, or just idly curious about the forbidden.
Everyone thinks they can handle things. They have the right to direct their lives in the way they feel personally compelled to. If things get out of hand, they'll just pull back, head in another direction. Then this addiction sits on their heads and the agonizing weight of their need sends them to distraction caused by pain, psychic and bodily failures. Their families desert them, their friends become remote and disinterested.
Society is left to pick up the pieces. Medical-health services are expended, trying to put to right what arrogance has rent asunder. Who honestly believes that people want to live such degraded lives of drug dependency; loss of health, of brainpower, of occupation, of partners and children? No one, just no one enjoys living the street life of deprivation and vulnerability. No one plans to squander life's real and true opportunities.
It happens. Lack of imagination, of maturity, of opportunities. So here's Stephen Harper, Canada's Prime Minister, disavowing former governments' (half-hearted and somewhat courageous) attempts to come to grips with drug-induced crime, and drug-production involved crime. Likening it to the era of prohibition in the U.S. with the later realization that the forbidden becomes the ardently sought-after goal.
Canada would relax its laws prohibiting the use of marijuana. Simple possession for self-use would no longer be a criminal offense. Production on a scale that would serve a large audience of users another thing entirely. A kinder, gentler government. And didn't the U.S. panic and protest! Their war on drugs is serious stuff, no kid-glove handling for them. Making them more edgy about their nutcase neighbours.
That was then, this is now. The Conservative government of Canada will extend compassion to hapless addicts, but drug dealers just better watch out: "If you sell drugs, we'll punish you". I concur. Who, in their right mind wouldn't, after all? Hard drugs destroy. Their use causes societal violence, despair and inhumane conditions. Impressionable young people who love challenges require information, education and protection.
The government promises to do all that elemental stuff. The fallout to this society is severe in terms of human lives wasted, in terms of the economy, costing the health care system roughly $1.2 billion yearly. So $63.8 million is being promised over two years to enhance and expand prevention and treatment. The lion's share will go toward modernizing treatment programs, setting out reliable education campaigns.
The policing/enforcement/justice side will be allocated $21.6 out of that total. In actual fact, not all that much money set aside for what is truly a horrendous social problem of dreadful dimensions.
Everyone thinks they can handle things. They have the right to direct their lives in the way they feel personally compelled to. If things get out of hand, they'll just pull back, head in another direction. Then this addiction sits on their heads and the agonizing weight of their need sends them to distraction caused by pain, psychic and bodily failures. Their families desert them, their friends become remote and disinterested.
Society is left to pick up the pieces. Medical-health services are expended, trying to put to right what arrogance has rent asunder. Who honestly believes that people want to live such degraded lives of drug dependency; loss of health, of brainpower, of occupation, of partners and children? No one, just no one enjoys living the street life of deprivation and vulnerability. No one plans to squander life's real and true opportunities.
It happens. Lack of imagination, of maturity, of opportunities. So here's Stephen Harper, Canada's Prime Minister, disavowing former governments' (half-hearted and somewhat courageous) attempts to come to grips with drug-induced crime, and drug-production involved crime. Likening it to the era of prohibition in the U.S. with the later realization that the forbidden becomes the ardently sought-after goal.
Canada would relax its laws prohibiting the use of marijuana. Simple possession for self-use would no longer be a criminal offense. Production on a scale that would serve a large audience of users another thing entirely. A kinder, gentler government. And didn't the U.S. panic and protest! Their war on drugs is serious stuff, no kid-glove handling for them. Making them more edgy about their nutcase neighbours.
That was then, this is now. The Conservative government of Canada will extend compassion to hapless addicts, but drug dealers just better watch out: "If you sell drugs, we'll punish you". I concur. Who, in their right mind wouldn't, after all? Hard drugs destroy. Their use causes societal violence, despair and inhumane conditions. Impressionable young people who love challenges require information, education and protection.
The government promises to do all that elemental stuff. The fallout to this society is severe in terms of human lives wasted, in terms of the economy, costing the health care system roughly $1.2 billion yearly. So $63.8 million is being promised over two years to enhance and expand prevention and treatment. The lion's share will go toward modernizing treatment programs, setting out reliable education campaigns.
The policing/enforcement/justice side will be allocated $21.6 out of that total. In actual fact, not all that much money set aside for what is truly a horrendous social problem of dreadful dimensions.
Labels: Crisis Politics, Government of Canada, Society
posted by Pieface | 5:58 PM
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