Honestly, we see where banning things gets us. Millions of people in prison and or killed over these things because there's black markets for them because people want them.
Or y’know ban the sale and don’t criminalise it?
Funny how a lot of countries are starting to crack down on cigarettes and the health issues they pose without mass locking people up.
Even if you do that you risk creating a black market that will be served by organised crime. In Australia it's an issue where tobacco shops get firebombed, and that's with just expensive cigarettes, not outright bans.
Here in Canada, we have a loophole in the law where indigenous have the right to use tobacco without taxation due to tradition. Which is totally fair - but it also applies to modern mass produced cigarettes for some reason.
As a result of ever increasing taxes on tobacco, I would reckon that at this point 80% of cigarettes smoked in my community have been smuggled off of a reserve. The black market is booming with "Rez smokes" selling for $5-10 a pack while legal cigs go for ~$30.
The federal government recently introduced a regulation mandating a health warning printed on every cigarette. Most agree it's a transparent attempt for the police to spot an illegal smoke in your hand, as Rez smokes don't have warnings on them. They are losing a ton of revenue to the black market, and are trying to crack down with heavy fines for even possessing a pack off of a reserve.
So glad this meme isn't going to become useless.
Brother's outside smokin on a new port
Heard about his sister headed to the forecourt
Ran right over the dude from the shoe store
Rumored that he jumped down two floors, ooh, Lord!
Came right up behind him
The kid didn't see him
I never seen that look on another human being
Just tax it more.
Someone get this man into the White House!
I’d be a lefty dictator.
For the proletariat, right?!??
They would nickname me Robin Hood, prince of the guillotine
As per moderator request, a unique comment for yall. Enjoy.
Screw the prohibitionists.
There will come a moment when humanity triumphs over the war on drugs, granting individuals the autonomy to decide what substances they consume.
And when that day arrives… will you witness drug users discriminating against those who choose sobriety?
Will you observe prisons constructed for those who opt to remain drug-free?
Will individuals be branded as criminals for abstaining from substances?
Will drug users advocate for the militarization of law enforcement and the erosion of our constitutional rights in an attempt to impose their lifestyle on others?
NO.
Who would inflict such harm on others? Prohibitionists.
And we stand against them.
Legalizing marijuana alone won't address the most severe repercussions of the war on drugs.
Full legalization of all substances is the ultimate harm reduction strategy.
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