( S-R photo by Jesse Tinsley )

From our editorial today

The Spokane City Council should have shown more thoughtfulness Monday when it adopted a feel-good ordinance that even the attorney who drafted it said won’t keep people from using drugs. What began as a proposal to ban the sale of novelty items, including glass tubes convenient for smoking dope, quickly grew into a long list of mundane items that become contraband when marketed under a complex set of conditions that qualify them as drug paraphernalia.
The discussion that preceded the 6-1 council vote was couched largely in terms of sending a message and taking a stand. No one on the council nor among the citizens who commented offered evidence that this approach will reduce drug abuse.

Feel good legislation or drug deterrent? Blog lines are open.