Monday, May 03, 2010

Hillbilly bashing highlights crime generated under prohibition

In scenes reminiscent of Hillbilly battles over Ma's illegal still, a backwoods marijuana grower near Tamworth has been attacked, bashed and left covered in petrol-soaked blankets, breathing in the gas from his caravan stove, after a drug heist by three men wearing balaclavas and green raincoats (SMH today).

The man had several teeth knocked out in the attack. But he also had a security camera running which showed the thieves' faces when they took off their headgear. One of these charmers is described as "tall and fat with a goatee, with a large tribal tattoo on the left side of his neck".


The thieves made off with a large amount of the drug. Perhaps they were counting on their victim keeping shtum to avoid being convicted himself. That's the way it mostly works in the unregulated underground economy of prohibited drugs. But this victim, rather than starting a deadly feud like 'Ma' may have done, appears to have gone to the police.

The incident again underlines the way prohibition, far from reducing harm,  increases nasty violence by giving the bad guys a rich field in which to make illicit profits, with little chance of being brought to justice -- and it's all over a drug that is far safer than alcohol by any objective measure.

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