The damage caused by prohibition….
Day 1. Billy Bob gets home after slaving all day to connect water piping to the local community. Billy gets home makes a slow boat, sits back and puffs his way to relaxation.
Children inside finishing up there home work, wife cooking a there supper.
Billy bob is just two payments short of owning his first car and is well on his way to finish building his own house.
Day 2
Billy Bob awakes to his door been kicked in and dragged out of bed half naked. Kids screaming and wife in a panic.
It's the sap. His neighbor had reported him to the police for smoking dagga. The police find a bankie in his cupboard and hand cuff him in front of his kids. The children are crying, not sure what is happening to daddy.
Billy, phones his boss to explains that he won't be at work.
Day 3
In court billy is found guilty of possession of an illegal substance and given 3 year suspended sentence.
Day 4
Billy returns to work were he is called to the office and told he has been dismissed/ fired due to a criminal record & drug use.
Day 5
Billy Bob goes to town handing his c.v to all pluming companies in search of a new job.
Week 1
Billy still has no job. His criminal record has now started to hurt his chances of ever getting a good job to live a comfortable lifestyle.
Month 1
Billy still looking for a job, Amy job, but no one hires criminals.
His car loan not paid
His building loan not paid
And now he is using his savings for food and day to day living.
Phone calls for reminder of payments start coming in.
Month 2
Poor Billy starts to take strain as he sees his bank balance fall to almost zero as he pays for food and desperately needed school shoes for his children.
His wife starts to moan about money. More phone calls about non paid accounts and loans. Medical aid cancelled, electricity switched off
Month 4
There is no more money and still no one is hiring a dagga smoking criminal.
Fridge stands empty as his and his children's stomachs. His wife has left him and the bank has taken his car and are in the process of taking the roof over there heads. School fees are due. And Billy's youngest daughter gets sick.
Billy begs for money so he can take her to a clinic as she is having a hard time breathing. The clinic is over flowing with people. So billy picks his daughter up and sit her on his lap as they wait there turn. Eventually they get to see the doctor who quickly looks her over and gives them a script for medication and ushers them out and the next one in.
Billy gets home after having to walk 20km in the rain and cold.
Quickly drying his daughter and putting some warm clothes on and putting her to bed.
The next day
He wakes to find his daughters lifeless body, and starts to blame himself for her death. If only I could have afforded a good doctor.
Month 6
Billy's son 17 was shot and killed when he tried to rob a supermarket for money so he could buy food. Billy has lost his house now due to non payment, and is now living with a family member
What happen
No car.
No house.
Wife left him.
Daughter died from a wrong diagnosis.
Son turned to crime to get money and was shot.
The company had to hire and train another skilled worker.
From been a hard worker and feeding the money system to now been among the thousands that are on grants.
This is a fictional story I made up to just show how simple it is for an outdated law to cause harm beyond the harms of its use.
And I can promise that this is not the worse case scenario.
More criminals are created just cause of dagga.
Warren oft Oates
Wco;) …read more