In Zach Calef’s column “Maybe it’s time to smoke those U.S. drug laws” (Sep. 19), he made an argument for the partial decriminalization of marijuana. His own tale of trouble with the law was illustrative of the way in which some laws make criminals of those who do nothing to harm others. His argument is one that should be heard and considered.

Laws function to make a civil society, not a moral one. If murder were legalized, previously moral people would not become immoral and go on killing people. Only the previously immoral would find themselves suddenly unconstrained from killing.

Nor does the illegality of murder make people moral, even if it prevents some from killing; for murder is most often born out of desire, of which the law has nothing to say, and wherein lies the seed of immorality.

The true function of the law is to protect people from those who would inflict harm. While it may not make people moral, it does help prevent some people from harming others by discouraging such behavior with the threat of punishment.

This is the main purpose of the law and should, perhaps, be the sole purpose of the law.

I want to clarify that I am not concerned here with whether using marijuana is moral or immoral. That point is irrelevant. I am only suggesting that its use by individuals visits little or no harm to others and therefore the basis for its prohibition is dubious.

Jeremy Alm

Graduate

Mathematics