Heroin in. Marijuana out?

I found this article to be fascinating. The citizens of Switzerland recently voted via referendum to continue a government program that regulates the distribution of legal heroin, yet voted against a proposal to decriminalize marijuana.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/world/europe/01swiss.html?_r=1



Hmmmm. What is going on here?

Without having demographic information about who voted in the referendum, it is difficult to make an educated analysis here, But....

I don't think anyone is going to jail in Switzerland for marijuana offenses, other than distinctly egregious offenses. Marijuana prosecution is a low priority for law enforcement in Switzerland so the laws there are not as offensive as in some countries. ( the U.S. for example)

I think the Swiss are generally against putting drug addicts in jail because they realize that such a policy is inhumane, stupid, and barbaric. That is a concept that our government, especially the Feds, cannot seem to wrap around their thick skulls. (with the exception of a brazen few.) The fact that right now in America there are probably hundreds of thousands of citizens in jail for the crime of drug possession is an affront to humanity.

Putting aside the humanitarian argument, let's focus on the money. I'll bet it is far cheaper to manage a heroin addict's scheduled distribution than it is to incarcerate a drug possessor. And according to the article, the addicts get counseling, clean needles, and they do not have to exist in a filthy underground that pollutes the community. The Swiss are getting far more bang for their buck than we in the US are when it comes to drug policy. This Puritan "drugs are bad, umkay.." mentality has to end now.

For the record, I'm against drug abuse in any form. But most of us have had friends or family who have abused drugs at one time or another. And we would never want them to go to jail, or even be arrested. You have to ask the question, "Who is better equipped to deal with a human being addicted to drugs- A health care professional, or a warden at a prison?"