Why is it that Liberal Democrat politicians so often line up behind illiberal policies.
We had much support for the smoking ban from LibDems - just to reiterate, nobody forces you to go to the pub, there is no aspect of coercion or forced harm there, even for bar staff. It was just a tool of the anti-smoking lobby who wish to ban all smoking, no matter what (even smokeless cigarettes are the enemy).
Recently we’ve had Julia Goldsworthy supporting a curfew, a policy which treats all young people as criminals rather than dealing with those who are the cause of crime.
Now we have Tom Brake, drug crusader, trying to ban the sale of cannabis seeds and crusading against ‘drug paraphernalia’, no doubt to ‘protect the young’.
If seeds are being sold to minors, then just like alcohol sales prosecute the seller.
The war on drugs is one of the chief causes of suffering in this country, and across the world. If cocaine weren’t illegal then the drug lords of Columbia would not have arisen to supply the demand. The demand would have been filled by peaceful farmers and processers who would make a living from the cultivation and processing of a crop.
If the massive suffering the war on drugs causes is not enough for a liberal to oppose the war then what about liberal fundamentals? It is not the place of government to protect someone from themselves. That is government has no right to prevent people from taking what drugs they like.
As for drug paraphernalia, restriction of it is a government restriction on the freedom of expression and should be condemned. Protest against it by all means, but never use government force against it. You wouldn’t sanction someone attacking the shop owner on their own, why does it suddenly become okay for you to get a gang to do it on your behalf?
We need to call a halt to government bans on things and reverse the bans we have in place. All banning something does is shift it to the red market where violence rules.
