I recently read in the news that senior British police officers wanted to introduce a scheme already operated in some US states (presumably the liberal ones!) where dealers anonymously purchase tax stamps which are then affixed to their wares.
Should dealers not have one of these stickers on their gear, if busted they get done for unpaid taxes as well as the dealing offences which increases the amount they have to pay back to the authorities.
Indeed, only a few months ago, it was reported here that Britain’s HM Customs and Revenue were attempting to levy VAT of 17.5% on the sale of psilocybin containing (magic) mushrooms!
It is however, rather hypocritical for a Government to deem sale of any commodity illegal and then attempt to collect taxes from its sale – you will hardly get dealers queuing up to submit their tax returns 😉
But there is a sense of fairness in this; drugs do sometimes lead to people experiencing health problems which in Britain and Europe are often treated at public expense by the health services.
Here’s a progressive solution; why not start to fully acknowledge and tolerate the culture of recreational drug use, by removing the criminalising of mere possession of distribution provided the appropriate tax revenues (set at a non-prohibitive level) are paid, and the system is set up to guarantee a certain quality of product – in the same way that HM C&R and local authorities monitor the quality of tobacco and alcohol
These taxes, along with those levied on sale of tobacco and alcohol should also be entirely “ring-fenced” for use to fund frontline health services and social services; thereby “recovering the cost” of any problems caused by drug use.
In a decriminalised society, this cost may well drop anyway. The lack of stigma associated with drug use will make people far less paranoid about their activities (IMO the bulk of the cause of mental problems associated with recreational use); and more likely to seek early treatment should the use get out of hand.
There is of course the danger a few people who cannot self-regulate their use or do not heed other medical warnings may overdose due to easy avaulability, however as cynical as it may seem these people will not be a long term burden on the NHS – you normally only need bury people once! The death toll will of course be a fraction of that already caused by tobacco or alcohol; and perhaps may be unavoidable collateral damage in bringing to a close the socially destructive “war on some drugs”.
As for the issue that “drug dealers are violent” – well, some are but so are many other business people; capitalism depends upon competition and violence often even enters the “legitimate” business market place.
It is only more prevalent in “unlicensed commodity trades” because the people involved do not have recourse to the authorities or regulators to sort out the kind of disputes over price, quality and customer service that always happen in any business!
Who has not read a crime report on a businessman being sent down for murdering a rival or even a colleague/partner, often merely over money?
Many of these people have never touched drugs in their lives; it is merely the agression inside them which drives them to murder or violence.
Violent activity will always be against the law; the criminal justice system should be arresting and prosecuting people who resort to violence anyway – and freed from the burden of nicking people for recreational drug use will have plenty more time to deal with this.
If anything society will become safer for taking this bold move!
Initially (and as perhaps as a sop to angered prohibitionists) the laws could always be amended in such a way that even following legalisation those who commited crimes of violence (whether due to a dealers’ dispute, domestic violence or robbery/violence against strangers) could be charged with the normal penalty and that which would have applied for posession when it was illegal – the same could apply for those who endanger others by driving whilst under the influence.
If only a government and the society which elected it (it takes both parties to do this!) could have the courage to take this forward..
