There's always some government bureaucrat or career politician that thinks they have the answer to solve a longstanding societal ill. Once again, the ill in question is the possession of tobacco by minors. No one will deny that the world would be a slightly better place if minors never had tobacco, but everyone will admit that the government's efforts to prevent such possession and enforce legislation towards that effort will be useless and likely quite expensive.
I'm saddened that a Conservative MPP, Gerry Martiniuk, is the one leading the charge on this. Conservatives should be well aware that the government is normally useless in solving problems in society whether it be poverty, homelessness, or joblessness. Despite the billions spent, the problems never go away. But why would they, then the bureaucrats running those agencies would be out of jobs and denied their large salaries and benefits. We certainly can't have that.
We have laws against alcohol possession by minors in Ontario, but do those do any good? No. We also have laws against many vices and spend billions trying to enforce them with little to show for it.
I am not saying that we don't need laws to limit access to various drugs, narcotics, or substances, but we must realize the very real limits of enforcement and compliance with such laws.
I think the society would be much better served if illegal cigarette sales were targeted, but that would involve the politically dangerous decision of confronting the fact most such activity takes places on First Nations reserves. Considering Caledonia, I wouldn't imagine any gutless politician will have the cajones to confront real issues, like the fact that 50% of tobacco sales are illegal.
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