By the Rule of Law

Summary 

Marlon Brando in the film 
version of The Godfather

The Godfather tells the story of how Michael, the youngest son of powerful mafia leader Vito Corleone, moves from seeking to escape his family's business to becoming its head in a bloody end, when he kills his family's enemies. The film opens at the wedding of Michael's sister Connie; while the guests are celebrating, the FBI watches outside, and Vito does business inside, arranging to bash the rich white boys who raped a "friend's" daughter. In the garden, Micheal, who is just back from World War II, tells his girlfriend about his bloody family. After his father is shot, Michael kills the shooters; then escapes to Italy before returning to head the family business after his oldest brother is killed.

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Response 

I think that The Godfather is one of the greatest movies ever made. The book it's based on is also a powerful story, but the film version of the story is even better. It's a long film, at almost three hours, but the time goes very quickly, and like all great art, it gets better with each viewing. I don't remember when I first saw it, but my parents certainly didn't let me go when it first opened in cinema's in 1972: it is full of violence, swearing, sex, crime and all the other things that have been a natural part of human life for the past two-hundred thousand years or more. 

Apart from having lots of action from the opening scene, with Don Vito Corleone plotting to deliver justice to a baker because the corrupt US legal system had not, the film explores controversial issues with a fresh perspective. One thing I like about it is that it shows how laws against personal drug use by adults greatly benefits mafia gangs and corrupt government officials, especially police. The mafia, as the film accurately shows, only gained so much wealth and power in the US because bad law made alcohol illegal, so of course the sensible businessmen supplied the popular drug that millions of good American citizens wanted to enjoy. Everyone was happy, except that the mafia and corrupt officials inluficted a heavy cost on society thanks to the unjust laws against the sale and use of alcohol. Exactly the same was true of laws against prostitution and gambling, and then against other popular drugs such as mairjuana, heroin, cocaince and so on. Sadly, the politicians in many countries still make their nations suffer greater drug harms by following the same morally bad laws that encourage mafia gangs and enrich corrupt police, judges and politicians. 

You would think that by now that politiicans would not be able to persuade so many people to support bad laws to profit mafia and corruption at great cost to society. More people need to watch that great Hollywood classic The Godfather to learn the lessons that should have been learned decades ago. 
 

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Question

Who do your country's drug laws help more: mafia gangs and corrupt officials, or society?