Feeling Safer Now?
The Feds swooped down yesterday and confiscated hundreds of deadly scales. Scales? You mean those balances that tell you how much something weighs? Yup, the very same. Federal agents stormed into 10 O'ahu convenience stores and confiscated the scales as part of its "war against drugs." The US Attorney, Ed Kubo, called it a "warning shot across the bow" to businesses that the Feds mean business.
The prosecutor noted that the federal penalty against selling "drug paraphernalia" is up to three years in jail and a $250,000 fine. To be fair, [insert disclaimer here] they also seized rolling papers and glass pipes but I have to wonder how this translates into fewer people on drugs. In my opinion, arresting these people makes for good news coverage and it's easy to tally up the number of items taken but, other than Federal officials, does anyone in their right mind think this will deter a drug addict from doing drugs? Does anyone, other than this Republican administration, think the way to deal with drug addicts is to try to keep them from buying rolling papers?
I'm sorry, but however well intentioned the prosecutor may
be, he and his bosses are simply wrong headed about this.
Let's try to get more drug treatment programs, let's try to
provide a better education and living environment. Heck, even
just sending addicts to jail is better than having the Black
Helicopters(tm) coming to fight the war on scales, I
mean drugs. Pathetic.