I thought the job of the police was to enforce the law? If a lot of people start comitting murder and that increases the workload on the police, should murder be legalized???

By Tim Lee | April 23, 2008 1:45 PM

Hi Tim. There is a slightly difference between growing mariguana and murder. If someone is smoking a joint and another one is killing and we have only one policeman where should we put our resources?

By kim | April 24, 2008 10:03 AM

Hi Tim,

Well the question you should be asking is should murder be illegal? Yes definitely. Should drugs be illegal? Aha there is the crux of the matter. Some governmantal folk have decided it's OK to smoke and drink (as long as you pay the tax), but not to take drugs, which drugs? Why is paracetamol available over the counter and not morphine? You can OD on Paracetamol and die quite easily. The government has decided "for our own good" to forbid certain substances and then allow others, so if you happen to have one of those substances you can end up going to jail, for owning a substance you intend to insert in your own body.

That is what is fundamentally wrong, and what the policeman is saying is if the police didn't have to waste time dealing with substance abuse they would have more time to catch the murderers.

By Iain | April 24, 2008 1:25 PM

It would certainly make life better for the injured, ill, and disabled who depend on it as a medicine (a medicine that works for severe pain that morphine barely helps for) are presently being 'prescribed' "Grow-your-own and use the Coffeeshops" by Huisarts, as it's better to do so than for them to prescribe the Ministrie version. All Husiarts say the same to us patients (well the one's that I know anyway), "half as good, twice the price, you can't claim it back on Insurance anyway, it's a nightmare of paperwork for us, so please, grow-your-own and use the Coffeeshops". So... I think it's good advice from the Police.

By Gerard | April 24, 2008 1:43 PM

As usual, my point has been missed. Mr. van Duijn is certainly entitled to his opinon, and I do not completely disagree with it. The job of the police is to enforce the law. The excuse that it takes too much time to enforce the law is just that - an excuse. Another option would be to ask for more resources to enforce the law. We're too busy is NOT a good reason for changing the law.

By Tim Lee | April 25, 2008 10:03 AM