Cannbis Search Plane Crashed - 2 killed

The New Zealand Herald

Cannabis Search Plane Crashed - 2 killed

A cannabis spotter plane crashed and killed both its occupants. Two more people have died enforcing the prohibition laws. The fact that these laws are flouted by people all over the country is self evident. The fact that more powerful drugs are available over the counter is ignored. The fact that this afternoon, in a public park in central Auckland, thousands convene in a free rock concert. If anyone smokes cannabis there it will be no suprise to anyone but we will probably not see police trying to stop them.

The USA sacrifices lives in risky helicopter mission in a pointless war, and we daily risk hapless contractors' lives in similar helicopter missions seeking to control a cash crop due to the laws they are bound to enforce. Why do they risk their lives? Cannabis does not pose a health risk to users, except that the supply is created by "criminals". In fact the law ensures that a large percentage of the profits from this industry go into "gang" hands.

Cannabis is fairly widely used and criminalisation makes little sense when rather a large proportion of our younger generation are more than likely included.

The most damage is done to the hapless contractors and police trying to control it being grown in the NZ bush.

We may hate speed cameras as a method of enforcement, but at least their use saves lives and risks very little harm to anyone. Removing controls on the speed limit would cause death. But providing a social alternative to alcohol has done good as is evident at dance parties where herbal highs are consumed and sold.

Eradication of vehicle theft

Car Theft more difficult

Measures bring brought into the law to protect owners of vehicles make it far more difficult to steal cars by hotwiring the ignition.

This protects new cars by making it much harder to start a car unless the actual key is used. This will mean that car theft will now have to include key theft. Immobilizers are like locks - they do not make theft impossible but more difficult.

So vehicle theft becomes a more personal crime. Instead of your car being quietly driven away, now your handbag will be stolen first. Is this kind of crime prevention actually therefore helpful? Or does it actually make matters worse by removing the element of balance that the Law (that assumes that people will try and get away with breaking it) invokes?

Measures that make it harder to infringe on the rights of others must be a good thing, but only if they work.