Whaleoil points out that a certain left wing blog is quite happy to bash prohibition of party pills (it “won’t work”) but has no problem banning guns, which clearly has been having some issues.
This is not a new phenomenon. It’s been noted on lefty blogs the world over. “Prohibition only works for stuff I don’t like” is a mantra of the left.
It’s true though, prohibition does not work. Murder has always been prohibited. That has not stopped countless murders. But make it legal, and you’ll have a real problem on your hands.
Gun laws are a good example – they work and they also don’t. This country has strict gun laws, and very few armed holdups, gang shootings etc. What we do have is South Auckland youths fighting outside libraries with hammers. Try banning those and nail-guns will just become more common. Oops.
What makes me laugh about the whole “party pills” thing is this: why would you illegally buy a party pill when you can get real drugs for about the same illegality? Many people wouldn’t – they’d either step up to drugs or down to boose. Party pills are ironically one of the few things that, if banned, will probably disappear very quickly and permanently.
(Funny how the guy who founded the group lobbying for party pills almost lost his business cos he got addicted to P. He supported them on the supposition that people would step back from hard drugs, but has since realised that most people are using them the other way around. I believe the group has now found a new spokesman.)
Certainly prohibition makes some things worse. Banning alcohol has rarely worked unless the populace wanted it, then there’s no point. Let’s face it, the stuff’s too popular, and in moderation harmless.
Hard drugs however, do not fall into that category. Many if not most people who consume hard drugs on a regular basis use crime or prostitution to pay for their habit. There is a clear case to be made for banning these on that basis alone.
I say ban party pills. Clear harm is being done, and drug pushers can easily use them as a wedge to get people addicted to harder drugs. It may not work universally, but that’s life in a free society – people get away with things sometimes.
Something should go here, maybe later. 