Drug and Legalized Hypocrisies

This is an article dated on 6 Nov 2008 with the title "Legalized Hypocrisies" 

Fortunately i got the latest  EMCDDA 2013, i will write the update next to the 2008's datas, so you can compare how the drugs phenomenon in Europe is completely out of control.

The latest report of the EMCDDA 2008 (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction), online, (www.emcdda.europa.eu) is clear, and it represents yet another unresolved problem: the consumption of drugs like cannabis and cocaine , is steadily increasing. With regard to cannabis at least one person in 5 of the European Community declares that he has made use, about 23%. In some states, the increases have touched the 8/10%. Italy is first in the list (finally a European ranking where we are not the last ...) on the consumption of cannabis last year with increases that affect 11%. The other substance that "pulls" and excuse the pun is Cocaine. This drug is also increased by 3% last year (the latest data shows about 4 milion of new consumers last year), and about 3.6% of the European population declared having used it at least once in your life (now the data is 6.5%), in practice 12 million people (now much more). United Kingdom, Spain and Italy control the ranking of the largest consumer countries of white powder. Italian repressive policy has filled the prisons of small drug dealer or boys with the first joint. The cocaine market is stronger than ever, and the Government with its unnecessary laws  knows it.. The superficiality with these incompetents approach problems is often disarming. It is estimated, again in the EMCDDA report, the social cost of these drugs require us represents 0.7% of GDP, approximately 6.473 billion euro, of which 43% goes to the police, 27% to social centers and 30% loss of productivity. The struggle against drugs is costing us 60 euro each, about 18/19 billion euro. But the absurdity of our society is fulfilled if we look to substances that are considered legal, but vicious in terms of health damage and social costs. If the various drugs are only in the European Community 8000 deaths a year, deaths from tobacco and alcohol come to nearly 6 million worldwide, more than 100,000 only in Italy. According to the National Institute of Cancer Italian health care expenditure for tobacco users is around 1.2 billion euro, while for the alcohol you touched 17 billion just in Europe. In Italy 83000 deaths last year related to smoke. The new "Tobacco Atlas Report" shows that: Tobacco has killed 50 million people in the last 10 years, and tobacco is responsible for more than 15% of all male deaths and 7% of female deaths. In China, tobacco is already the number one killer - causing 1.2 million deaths a year - and that number is expected to rise to 3.5 million a year by 2030, the report said. The deaths caused by alcohol-related traffic accidents are 17000 only in the European Community. The latest Report now is dated 2011, by the WHO: 2,5 milion people die annually related to alcohol, 4% among all the deaths are related to alcohol. 9% of the deaths between 15-29 years old are caused by alcohol. I wonder where are the differences that make some legal and other illegal substances, what makes difference if i smoke a joint, or i  drink a bottle of gin on Saturday night? One is legal one not, cause for the law one is dangerous and one.....too.  Maybe now entrenched economic interests of various Lobby of tobacco and alcohol are stronger than any form of social equilibrium ( The top contributor in its category for both Democratic and Republican for the years 2011/12 is the National Beer Wholesalers Assn with 3 million over dollars) I do not think that prohibition, the threat and detention are adequate ways to defeat this invasion of drugs. Prohibit the chocolate to an obese child, without explaining the reasons for that move, without making them responsible about his health, will not prevent him to eat later at parties or with some friends. A civilized society has the ability to educate as many citizens as possible, primarily parents, about the real risks of drugs (which are cocaine, alcohol or tobacco), and the causes that lead thousands of people looking for an artificial happiness, becoming slaves. By legalizing some substances and by not trivializing the dangers of alcohol and cigarettes is the only solution and a viable alternative to deprive organized crime of huge revenues.
With milion of deaths related to Alcohol and Tobacco, can we describe them as a mortal epidemic of people that believe in what is legal and thus safe? The police has to focus more, not on the boy who makes two joints every now and then, but of criminal groups that grow within the limits of an  unprepared State of prohibition. Maremma Cinghialaaaaa

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