Rahul Mehta Gandhinagar LsCandidate

It is myth that liquor and opium cause poverty and prompt addicts to thefts to pay for their addictions..Almost 100% pure alcohol is just Rs 40 per liter and so typical 10% alcohol beer would cost only around Rs 5 per liter !!! And opium cost price is below Rs 2 per gram !!! IOW, economic burden on addicts and their family is coming to taxes\bans on liquor and opium.
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One of my proposals is to decide ban\licensing on liquor\opium using state level referendums., and have tahsil-wise banning law (i.e. a ward/tahsil can ban or allow consumption/sale of liquor/opium in its ward/tahsil). . Today, opium is central subject and liquor is concurrent. And the procedure I propose to take referendum is TCP , see section-1.3 of rahulmehta . com / 301.htm . Other law-drafts I have proposed is that all liquor/opium related cases will be tried by Jurors ONLY and not by corrupt/nexused/nepotic/careerist/threatened judges. In addition, the liquor/drugs dept inside police should be separated and headed by DySP, and that DySP should be recallable by voters. And the Deputy District Public Prosecutor incharge of liquor too should be recallable.
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When referendums are taken in various states/nations across world on these issues, the trend is following.
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1. In first two three referendum the decision is to ban liquor/opium and/or impose serious restrictions.
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2. By third referendum, the society "sobers up" and reduces most restrictions on liquor/opium.
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The first referendum is due to desire to control the deviant and force him to join mainstream. Later, when the price and failures keep mounting, and addicts take "revenge" for miseries the laws have imposed in their lives, the desire to control reduces and so ban weakens. The reality behind opium ban is that those who want ban are intoxicated by toxin of control. They wish to control the lives of others. Fair enough --- let them try. When costs come and time to pay the costs via taxes come, they will all sober up. They will stop taking this toxin to control others' lives, become liberal, and allow the addicts to live co-exist peacefully.
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So that was political side. Now I will spell out some economic points about liquor and opium.
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ECONOMIC SIDE OF ETHANOL AND OPIUM
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Please google on "price of alcohol India". You will see that alcohol price at factory is around Rs 40 per liter. Now that alcohol has 100% ethanol. Typical beer has 10% ethanol. So a 10% beer would cost no more than Rs 5 per liter and 20% beer would cost Rs 20 per liter. That is, if all laws and taxes on ethanol are removed. This is ethanol from sugarcane. Ethanol from other sources wcan be more expensive, and sometimes cheaper !! eg Taadi , Mahuo etc are cheaper than sugarcane alcohol !!!
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And please google on "farm price opium". and please google on "opium dose" Even in war torn Afghanistan, the farm price is just Rs 6000 per kg !!! In India, farm price is high due to severe licensing laws and bans. If all taxes and laws are removed, the n cost of dry opium at farm will be below Rs 2000 per kg i.e. below Rs 2 per gram or even less. Typical addicts consume 1/2 gram only i.e. opium worth Rs 1 or even less only, if all laws\taxes on opium are removed.
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So all this hulla gulla that liquor and opium is creating poverty and promoting addicts to commit thefts to fund his addictions are LIES of highest orders. The economic reality is that govt licence is needed to make and sell liquor. So the license holder keep production so low that prices go 10-100 times !!! To that, , there are govt taxes which further increase the prices !! And so ethanol which is just Rs 40 per liter becomes Rs 1000 per liter or even more. And a "10% beer" can cost Rs 5 per liter becomes Rs 100 per liter at ;least. This is what impoverishes the addict, and prompts him to commit thefts to fund his addictions.
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Same way, pharma companies bribe mediamen and paid-activists to spread lies that opium does serious damage to brain and body. Thats nonsense. Almost all addicts take no more than 1/2 gram per day, and this dose causes no side effects even after years. Then pahrma companies bribe Ministers to ban opium. So prices of opium goes 100 times high !!!. And so the addict has commit thefts to fund his addiction.
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Now liquor may increase violent crimes as alcohol worsens temprament. But opium REDUCES aggression in behavior. So problem of liquor can be reduced by law that "addict can drink ethanol ONLY in his home, or hotel room, and NOT in road or bar or any public place outside closed walls". And if an addict is caught outside closed walls, he will be punished. This will prompt ethanol addicts to live inside closed walls, and not become nuisance to others.. And such problem doesnt arise with opium addicts anyway.
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The liquor/opium restriction/bans are ONLY to increase the profits in this business. oif ban on opium goes away, then 1000s of crores rupees that MPs, MLAs, Ministers, judges, IPS, IAS etc make will go away. Also profits of pain killer making companies would deplete !! All the "activism" you see against opium is funded by these nefarious profiteers only. .
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Party\person politics
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Liquor\drug issue is going to dominate Punjab politics. The voters have rightly realized that CoBha = Congress + BJP + SAD doesnt want to reduce opium problem. In fact, almost all CoBh leaders are neck deep into drug/liquor trade. AK = AAP wants to capture this business. Please note that Ak = AAP has NO intention to reduce the mess. They only want to collect votes on this issue and then use CM-ship to collect five times bribes than Congress, BJP, SAD ever did in their lifetimes. And worse, their goal is to promote foreign religions in that area and also promote FDI enmasse. .
.But paidmedia will project AAP as solution to drug problem. And thus AAP will win Punjab Assembly with over 2/3rd majority and situation of Punjab will worsen.
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So what can we do?
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IMO, we should promote "referendum on liquor/opium by TCP" proposal. If we demand unbanning of opium and removing taxes on liquor, then AK = AAP and paidmedia will have field day in projecting us as anti-people. They will project us as some demons who want whole population to take ethanol and opium 24*7 basis and do no work..Besides, our proposal is NOT to unban liquor\opium anyway. Our proposal frpom day one has been decide liquor\opium questions via TCP only. And we should promote the proposal that ALL crimes related to liquor\opium should be tried by Jury only and not by judges. And nodal officers in-charge should be recallable.
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So along with publicizing "TCP over opium.liquor", we should also inform activists and liquor about
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1. What is raw costs of ethanol, opium per dose
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2. Normal dose of opium has no side effects even if taken for decades.
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3. Addicts resort to theft NOT because of raw costs but due to rise in price which is due to licensing restrictions, bans and taxes.
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4. Opium reduces aggression and sexual desires and so opium addiction never increases violence , rape etc,.Liquor does have problem of increasing aggression and sexual desires. But that problem can be solved by (1) law that liquor can be taken ONLY inside closed walls of home or hotel rooms (2) no liquor in bars, resturants, public places etc
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5. Alcohol prices are high due to licensing, and the the licensing companies have formed cartel to keep production low. Otherwise 10% ethanol beer would cost Rs 20 per liter including all taxes.
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These facts and proposals such as "TCP over liquor\alcohol", "JurySys over liquor\alcohol crimes" , "RTR over nodal officers in-charge of liquor\drug enforcement": etc should be sufficient to reduce drug/liquor problem in India, and also address a bigger prioblem, rise if AAP = AK in Punjab area.
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-By Rahul Chimanbhai Mehta (Right to Recall Group).
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