Last but not least: The drug problem
Voting weekends always seem to be a source of real frustration. This time was no different.
It is not the job of this newspaper to comment on federal votes, especially if they have nothing to do with the communications industry. But one result of this weekend's vote was once again such a complete nuisance that an exception should be made here. We are talking about the hemp initiative.
It is pointless to discuss the potential dangers of hemp containing THC, which is regularly consumed by 600,000 Swiss people. It is roughly on a par with the popular drug alcohol. The fact that around two thirds of the electorate nevertheless voted against the legalization of the private use of hemp therefore seems to have arisen less from rational reasons than from a dull fear that this would usher in a kind of "Platzspitzization" of Switzerland.
The real annoyance of this referendum is not the social sanctioning of the ban on hemp. People will get stoned anyway. What is annoying here is the suspicion that the decision was motivated by a fear of one's own freedom. Or even more so of the freedom of others. A little more courage would have been called for, and a good sign of trust in the judgment of others. Or does anyone believe that legalizing hemp would have turned the Swiss population into a horde of permanent stoners? Apparently yes. If only the electorate were as creative in other respects...
It is pointless to discuss the potential dangers of hemp containing THC, which is regularly consumed by 600,000 Swiss people. It is roughly on a par with the popular drug alcohol. The fact that around two thirds of the electorate nevertheless voted against the legalization of the private use of hemp therefore seems to have arisen less from rational reasons than from a dull fear that this would usher in a kind of "Platzspitzization" of Switzerland.
The real annoyance of this referendum is not the social sanctioning of the ban on hemp. People will get stoned anyway. What is annoying here is the suspicion that the decision was motivated by a fear of one's own freedom. Or even more so of the freedom of others. A little more courage would have been called for, and a good sign of trust in the judgment of others. Or does anyone believe that legalizing hemp would have turned the Swiss population into a horde of permanent stoners? Apparently yes. If only the electorate were as creative in other respects...
