General Assembly Resolution #577 “Drug Decriminalization Act” (Category: Civil Rights; Strength: Significant) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.
Esteemed members of the World Assembly;
Complimenting the continued progress of this esteemed body towards the betterment of its member nations,
Lamenting the potential of the Drug Decriminalization Act to be a significant and progressive piece of legislation, hampered by the flaws present within,
Highlighting the fallacies present in the legislation early on, including the assertion that decriminalization is demonstrated to reduce negative societal effects when the reality is that statistics naturally reflect a reduction in drug related offences but show a marked increase in petty street crimes in order to feed a dependency that prevails regardless of the lawful status of drugs,
Disheartened by the political and polarizing statement that "drug possession charges are a favored tool of legal authorities and governments seeking to marginalize or suppress minorities and political opposition to their governments," when the reality is that possession charges are preferred against a person in possession of drugs in the same way speeding tickets are preferred against persons speeding. The enforcement of laws against criminal offenders and the disproportionate targeting of minority groups are in no way the same thing nor are they addressable by the decriminalization of drugs as this resolution would have nations believe,
Disgusted that the target legislation resorted to polarizing statements such as "authorities are often empowered by the continued criminalization of recreational drug possession to commit violence and other indignities against even non-marginalized demographics," and that the legislation in question would have members believe that decriminalization of drugs would address and end systematic or endemic issues of corruption in the fields that it might exist,
Noting that clause 1(b)(i) in its definition of drug possession provides a defense to individuals involved in the sale and supply and/or trafficking of controlled drugs as the prima facie requirement is "monetary or personal gain" which may not always be immediately evident or easily substantiated in a court of law,
Perplexed by the concept of "malicious intent" in clause 1(b)(ii) and worried that legislation with ambiguity inevitably always favors those who would corrupt it,
Lamenting that clause 3a, sweepingly and broadly mandates the decriminalization of drugs for the purpose of "simple possession" without any consideration towards mitigating factors eg; The quantity of a controlled drug in a persons possession, nature of the adverse effects or addictive nature of said controlled drug or classification of the drug in question,
Saddened that a resolution that alludes to offender recidivism, societal participation and recommends the benefits of pardons has taken no positive steps towards addressing the root cause of drug possession, drug trafficking and black market trade i.e; addiction,
Believing that this legislation spends more time highlighting and targeting systematic societal problems with emotive language and incendiary claims rather than the issue it is purporting to address and thus executing its purpose poorly,
Hereby deems the Drug Decriminalization Act, Resolution #577, unfit for purpose and accordingly repeals same.
