Unitarian
Values
and
the War on Drugs
SYNOPSIS:
Unitarian values centred
on respect for human wellbeing
are in sharp contrast to our society's
current "War on Drugs".
The effects of legal sanctions on individuals
often exceed the ill effects of soft
drug use.
The laws concerning alcohol, nicotine
and pot
are not in keeping with their relative
health effects.
The violence introduced into society
in order to support high priced hard
drug addiction
(the high price caused by the illegal
status of the drugs)
is the major effect of drug addiction
on most of us.
A disproportional percentage of our population
is imprisoned for drug related offenses.
The experience of alcohol prohibition
would indicate that medical rather than
criminal means
are the best suited to address the problem.
We Unitarians should
be at the forefront
of the drug law reform effort,
and not be hindered by being charged
as being in favour of drug use.
OUTLINE:
I. INTRODUCTION: UNITARIAN COMMITMENT
TO SOCIAL BETTERMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
II. OUR BASIC VALUES: PUTTING PERSONS FIRST
III. THE EFFECTS OF DRUGS
IV. THE EFFECTS OF LAWS AGAINST DRUGS
AUTHOR:
J. McRee Elrod is a
cataloguer for special libraries
and a retired Unitarian minister in British
Columbia, Canada.
Learn more about him from his member
profile:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/JE-WWCC.html
If you would like to
see a draft of this proposed cyber-sermon,
click this title: Unitarian
Values and the War on Drugs
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~parkx032/CY-DRUGS.html
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