Senior Counsel Israel Khan may find the CJ's suggestion for the decriminalisation of possession of small amounts of marijuana "total madness", however, were we to follow the CJ's suggestion I'd be willing to bet that the price of marijuana would drop forthwith and, as a result, there would be far less of a problem with trafficking in the same. The appeal right now for the dealer is "it's illegal, so we can ask any price".
To the best of my knowledge, marijuana does not have as deleterious effects on users as "hard drugs" and is already being used for medicinal purposes in certain areas anyway.Furthermore, how many traffickers go before the courts now? Seems to me the police are far more adept at picking up the users. Let them get busy finding the real "criminals" in the scenario–the traffickers. How many of those go before the courts?
The second reason for his suggestion also has much merit since it is a fact that a marijuana smoker taken before the courts has a "record" which will hamper him in obtaining gainful employment, perhaps setting him/her off on the wrong track.Quite frankly, I personally would also prefer (were I on trial for a heinous crime, such as murder) to know that my fate was in the hands of someone well versed in "law".
It is quite a responsibility to place the onus on the ordinary citizen to determine whether a man/woman should hang. To the best of my knowledge a jury does not have to pass any test to prove their intelligence in order to sit on a jury. Let "the law" deal with the law.
Virginia Verity,
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