In his April 13 letter, Maynard Thomson continued to defend decriminalizing marijuana and drugs in general in the name of protecting individual rights, following in the footsteps of repealing prohibition. He is amazed that I or anyone can believe that our drug laws “make us safer” after my March 22 letter insisting that we are not ready for legalization or “decriminalization.” He also accused me of being unaware of “harm reduction” policies and “successful” decriminalization efforts like those in Portugal. 

I will address both of these, but first I must address this: He said, “Self-destructive behavior, however regrettable, is an individual right that a free society will defend, even as it deplores it.” And “It’s long past time to recognize that we protect “public safety” by recognizing that private folly is a private matter.” All very poignant thoughts on the protection of the rights of the individual. I can only imagine where he stands on policies like Narcan. Currently, self-destructive behavior vis-a-vis drugs is NOT treated as “folly” as he says, but as a true illness and disease that renders the individual a danger to self or others.

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