I agree that enforcement should primarily attack the people engaged in the commercial aspects of narcotics, not the small-time user.
However being caught breaking the law in a public place (such as a sidewalk in this particular case) is by the very definition of the word not a violation of your privacy.
I definitely do. For instance, there should be a reduction in premiums for people without alcohol-induced liver ailments, and people with an alcohol dependency should be penalized through a premium hike. Nobody should be excluded from the NHI, but irresponsible choices should definitely be penalized if only for symbolic value.
The same applies to reckless hikers who disregard regulations, need to get rescued by airlift, and then expect the taxpayer to foot the bill.
Fair enough! I’d be willing to bet though if you did a statistical analysis on marijuana usage compared to such things, say smoking, traditional medicine usage, various foods, etc., you’d find it barely moved the scales.
That is likely the case unless you normalize the values for the relatively low number of users. It would be more interesting to compare the average lifetime NHI expenditure of people consuming marijuana and non-consumers.
I like the theory but wouldn’t expect it to work in practice. How is the government supposed to know everything you eat, drink, smoke, or do, even when you’re overseas, unless we live in an absolutist, one-world-government surveillance society?
“Sin taxes” on alcohol etc. are a more reasonable measure.
During my studies in Berlin, Schering did a study on the effects of cannabis.
Some of my schoolmates participate in this studies. Smoking for free and getting paid a good amount of money.
The study concluded as far as I remember no bodily harm, but what I definitely remember was their conclusion to the economical harm, cause the consumption dose affect work performance.
On the other hand, we had to go to the different sections of the mental hospital and have some short interns. There was one section reserved for glue sniffers (the cannabis substitute for kids) The leading Doctor there told us, that this is the saddest place to be, since their habit destroyed their brains with little or no positive outcome for the future.
I know what your kids are doing here at some of the high schools and this is that.
Sniffing all kinds of chemicals, showing up with red and yellow eyes.
My opinion: you’d be much better off, giving for being caught with cannabis a heavy fine and then focus on the things that really harm society.
Crystal meth, Heroin, Cocaine, Speed etc. oops! alcohol and tobacco
Lawrence v. Texas invalidated those laws in general, but not absolutely.
And speaking of which…
Facing comparable facts, the Fifth Circuit struck down Texas’s sex toy ban holding that “morality is an insufficient justification for a statute” and “interests in ‘public morality’ cannot constitutionally sustain the statute after Lawrence”.
Volunteer at a dog shelter? That’s likely in breach of your work permit conditions
Iirc that’s now permitted for normal “white collar” foreign workers. See the relevant thread about volunteer work (wherever it is) for details. When in doubt, don’t do it.
Yes, the system is stupid in general. No, that doesn’t make it impossible to navigate.
Living tree doctrine, cow-man. Obscure, centuries-old laws that don’t make any apparent sense in modern times are often unenforceable. Ymmv depending on what jurisdiction you’re in.
As for Taiwan (where laws are generally not that old), if you evade tax and work illegally “because it’s part of everyday life” then that’s what you do. Not everyone does.
And PR’s are permanent guests?
That part I’m skeptical of, no matter what substance it was.
(“Outside of work time, it would be the worker’s private behavior, but if such behavior has violated social/public order or good customs [moral standards], when there is sufficient evidence to prove harm to the business entity’s image and reputation, the business entity’s work rules may include it as a cause for termination of employment without advance notice, and this is not improper.”)
Don’t use it and don’t have it in your system are not the same thing. Second hand smokers already suffer damage to their health. Would you lock them up too?
Let’s drug test everyone.
While we’re at it, let’s audit everyone’s tax returns.
In a very minor sense you’d struggle in Taiwan to not break the odd law, or certainly contribute to illegal behavior. Crossing a street without waiting for the green man, buying food off an unlicensed street vendor. The odd right turn on a red light at 4 am in the morning, chewing gum on the MRT. Do I really need to follow you round all day to prove my point?
I’ve met plenty of “bd people” that are Taiwanese. Maybe we should drug test everyone. Just remember to take out prescription opiates, prescription amphetamines, and prescription SSRI’s. Alcohol is fine too. Just don’t get caught mowing down a street of scooters and offering $50,000nt compensation before driving off.
It looks like I need you to follow me around all day to prove my point.
If buying street food qualifies as contributing to illegal activity (and I’m not saying it doesn’t), you might as well say everyone who’s ever had a laoban who violated labor laws (e.g. refusing to give overtime pay) without filing an official complaint has contributed to illegal activity. I’m the type who would complain, btw.
Now, flying a UFO without authorization is another story, and on that front, um, I have no further comment.
Oh, I have a license. But trying to upload your flight plan to an incompatible system (Earth technology! ) is a pain in the tentacles… and this time I really have no further comment.
