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MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER
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Worzels World - Banning ProhibitionThere are many who believe that Adam and Eve are the very great grandparents of those of us who couldn’t be bothered evolving from monkeys. The book of Genesis reckons that back in the day they had things pretty sweet in the Garden of Eden.
Then, by all accounts, God decreed a prohibition regarding fruit from a particular tree. Predictably, as soon as the couple were forbidden something, they had to have it. After eating of the metaphorical apple everything turned pear shaped and the rest, as they say, is history – or religion, or politics or something or other. It would seem to be an almost inevitable failing or perhaps triumph of human nature that when people are told they are not allowed something that thing will become more popular. Bible stories usually contain many moral messages. In this case, ‘prohibition doesn’t work’ might be one. They say that those who will not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Consequently a significant amount of time and evolution later the United States government, which has often mistaken itself for God, failed to learn from history and banned alcohol. Liquor supply and distribution fell into the hands of organised crime. Gangsters made fortunes in a depression era US. Undertakers and manufacturers of the Thompson machine gun also did a brisk trade but few others prospered. Generally prohibition was disastrous. This more recent example should be enough to warn any government anywhere off banning anything. Where a demand exists and a dollar can be made fulfilling that demand, then by hook or by crooks that demand will be met. The black market has proved more efficient at supplying people with what they want than are governments at providing them with what they need. In various nations and states everything from gambling to God has been banned by legislators who overestimate their ability to prevent people doing what they want. There has yet to be a single recorded instance of a successful prohibition of anything anywhere. The story in New Zealand is no different. Once our attitude to what are now called drugs was much more relaxed. Pioneering nun Sister Mary Aubert, celebrated for ministering to New Zealand's sick and destitute, prescribed hemp cigarettes to asthma sufferers. There were no reports of mayhem caused by stoned bands of asthmatic psychopaths. These days hemp cigarettes are called 'joints' and are illegal. Throughout our history there have been prohibitions on various things. I have heard stories that from the earliest days Chinese gambling dens operated illegally in shady city suburbs where opium and green tea could also be procured. Such things though were far from mainstream New Zealand life. Prior to the 1970's a Kiwi’s drugs of choice were the very legal tea, tobacco, draught beer and Scotch whiskey. If horse racing and rugby could be put in a bottle or a packet these too might be included. In 1972 US president Nixon declared a 'war on drugs' and formed the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to enforce this prohibition. The rest of the West followed and in 1975 New Zealand passed the Misuse of Drugs Act. Since that time the cost of enforcement has steadily risen along with the quantity, variety and availability of illicit substances. Where prohibition never works, education, discussion and social censure often do. When tobacco smoking was the fashion, everyone who was anyone did it. Then we came to understand that smoking is not the classy, urbane pastime of sophisticated socialites but is rather a smelly unhealthy addiction that eventually kills its users. Quite sensibly the take-up rate has declined and many tobacco addicts have quit. Some countries have taken a liberal approach to the most popular currently illegal substance. Marijuana has long been decriminalised in Holland and their biggest problem is catering to the hordes of tourists going there to smoke it. Portugal has recently followed suit and so far no catastrophe has befallen that nation. In the US states of Colorado and Alaska cannabis is legal and many others have decriminalised it or approved its medicinal use with no apparent difficulties. The banning of synthetic cannabis and other formerly legal highs is as certain to fail as every prohibition has. If past trends are repeated they will simply become more expensive and more popular. It seems our government thinks it can achieve in a country with 4.5 million people what God couldn't manage in a garden with two. Let's ban prohibition and simply admit that it is impossible to check these manifestations of 'supply and demand'. It is merely the real 'free market' at work. There may be a solution to humanities desire to take strange substances that are not good for them and do silly things but it is obvious that prohibition isn't it. Maybe legalising, regulating and taxing are more sensible options? But perhaps banned substances are more available on the streets than is common sense in government. prof_worzel@hotmail.com |
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