War against drug is wasting money:
War against drugs is already known an aggressive approach and a failure in many ways. First, it is too expensive. Secondly, when the drug dealers are cracked down, the organized smaller groups blossomed, and black market and distribution system created; therefore, they are even harder to be cracked down. Thirdly, if a dealer is arrested, the other dealers are still working and at most, they shift to a different location, village, district, or city. Fourthly, war against drugs give an opportunity to law enforcement officers or even group of officers to corrupt and stay behind the dealers. This approach will still require continual fights forever.
On Tuesday 25, 2014, on the Annual Meeting of NACD, his excellence Meas Vyrith told Cambodia daily1 that in about a month NACD and provincial/municipal authorities have cracked down 90 bars which supply Shisha. Like attacking drug dealers, in 2012, 1,788 people were arrested. In 2013, 1,830 were arrested. 2 So there will be around 2,000 people will be likely to be arrested in 2014, assuming the drug authorities keep doing their good job attacking those people. How much have they spent to arrest those people? We don't know.
Why Shisha was allowed, and then seized?
Who allowed Shisha material and drugs to be supplied in Cambodia in the first place? Was that the government? Who allowed those bars or clubs to sell Shisha very openly? Was that the authority?
Then without any law saying Shisha is illegal, the drug authority and local authorities started smashing Shisha down aggressively.
Yes, it is harmful, but we need a better way to deal with it:
I agreed that Shisha is harmful, like other drugs or the legalized cigarettes. Many research studies proof the substances used in Shisha are harmful. An hour of smoking Shisha equals to smoking 100 cigarettes. More importantly, Shisha attracts teenagers who always like to taste new things.
However, lessons from war against drugs have shown that aggressive intervention stops only the fire we see in the air. The burning part is always hidden and will be spread to different locations. Then the black markets will blossom. They will then require costly and more difficult mechanism to control. They will create opportunity for corruption to the law enforcement officers who always stay behind.
Legalize light drugs, tax them, and get money for education:
What the government should do is to acknowledge that drug uses and dealing happen everywhere on earth. Then, legalize light drugs by developing law and policies to control them, and tax them. Of course, education is still needed to inform those who are not aware to understand the harms of those drugs. Just like we are educating the harms of drugs; while war against drugs is happening. But by doing this, the government can educate in a massive way, because they have money from taxing those drugs, and the saving from not fighting against drugs. Harm reduction program has to be there too as rights and social support program.
War against drugs is already known an aggressive approach and a failure in many ways. First, it is too expensive. Secondly, when the drug dealers are cracked down, the organized smaller groups blossomed, and black market and distribution system created; therefore, they are even harder to be cracked down. Thirdly, if a dealer is arrested, the other dealers are still working and at most, they shift to a different location, village, district, or city. Fourthly, war against drugs give an opportunity to law enforcement officers or even group of officers to corrupt and stay behind the dealers. This approach will still require continual fights forever.
On Tuesday 25, 2014, on the Annual Meeting of NACD, his excellence Meas Vyrith told Cambodia daily1 that in about a month NACD and provincial/municipal authorities have cracked down 90 bars which supply Shisha. Like attacking drug dealers, in 2012, 1,788 people were arrested. In 2013, 1,830 were arrested. 2 So there will be around 2,000 people will be likely to be arrested in 2014, assuming the drug authorities keep doing their good job attacking those people. How much have they spent to arrest those people? We don't know.
Why Shisha was allowed, and then seized?
Who allowed Shisha material and drugs to be supplied in Cambodia in the first place? Was that the government? Who allowed those bars or clubs to sell Shisha very openly? Was that the authority?
Then without any law saying Shisha is illegal, the drug authority and local authorities started smashing Shisha down aggressively.
Yes, it is harmful, but we need a better way to deal with it:
I agreed that Shisha is harmful, like other drugs or the legalized cigarettes. Many research studies proof the substances used in Shisha are harmful. An hour of smoking Shisha equals to smoking 100 cigarettes. More importantly, Shisha attracts teenagers who always like to taste new things.
However, lessons from war against drugs have shown that aggressive intervention stops only the fire we see in the air. The burning part is always hidden and will be spread to different locations. Then the black markets will blossom. They will then require costly and more difficult mechanism to control. They will create opportunity for corruption to the law enforcement officers who always stay behind.
Legalize light drugs, tax them, and get money for education:
What the government should do is to acknowledge that drug uses and dealing happen everywhere on earth. Then, legalize light drugs by developing law and policies to control them, and tax them. Of course, education is still needed to inform those who are not aware to understand the harms of those drugs. Just like we are educating the harms of drugs; while war against drugs is happening. But by doing this, the government can educate in a massive way, because they have money from taxing those drugs, and the saving from not fighting against drugs. Harm reduction program has to be there too as rights and social support program.
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