Posted on 07/28/2014 12:07:40 PM PDT by right-wing agnostic
EDITOR’S NOTE: This past Sunday, the editorial board of the New York Times endorsed the federal legalization of marijuana. In the February 12, 1996, issue of National Review, this publication’s editors endorsed the same concept in an introduction to a symposium on the question. The editorial and WFB’s contribution to the symposium follow:
National Review has attempted during its tenure as, so to speak, keeper of the conservative tablets to analyze public problems and to recommend intelligent thought. The magazine has acknowledged a variety of positions by right-minded thinkers and analysts who sometimes reach conflicting conclusions about public policy. As recently as on the question of troops to Bosnia, there was dissent within the family from our corporate conclusion that we’d be best off staying home.
For many years we have published analyses of the drug problem. An important and frequently cited essay by Professor Michael Gazzaniga (February 5, 1990) brought a scientist’s discipline into the picture, shedding light on matters vital to an understanding of the drug question. He wrote, for instance, about different rates of addiction, and about ambient pressures that bear on addiction. Elsewhere, Professor James Q. Wilson, now of UCLA, has written eloquently in defense of the drug war. Milton Friedman from the beginning said it would not work, and would do damage.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
We fought it like we have every war since WW2 so we were bound to lose.
Pro-druggers are the biggest liars and liberals there are.
Yes you are a liberal.
How ought we have fought it?
The War on Some Drugs was just a prelude to the War on Terror, both of which are intended to eventually negate the bill of rights and the very idea of private property. All the government has to do is whisper “drugs” or “terror” and they can do anything they want to you.
"the pharmaceutical cost of cocaine and heroin is approximately 2 per cent of the street price of those drugs. Since a cocaine addict can spend as much as $1,000 per week to sustain his habit, he would need to come up with that $1,000. The approximate fencing cost of stolen goods is 80 per cent, so that to come up with $1,000 can require stealing $5,000 worth of jewels, cars, whatever. We can see that at free-market rates, $20 per week would provide the addict with the cocaine which, in this wartime drug situation, requires of him $1,000."
“How ought we have fought it?”
How about by not taking a page from LBJ’s book and declaring a phony “war” on a domestic policy issue? The only thing that serves to do is manipulate people’s emotions.
True, but the analysis is a little simplistic. For example, nobody would ever sell a product like cocaine at “pharmaceutical cost” even if it were legal. It’s price would be set by the same market forces that set prices for other goods. So, it would probably fall somewhere between the $20 and $1000 figure.
The National Review was leftist from way, way, way back.
If Bill Buckley was alive today, he’d be happy as hell (and stoned to the bone) in Colorado.
“Interesting!”
Facts, mere facts!
Facts have nothing to do with Drug Policy.
There’s a war on; haven’t you heard, citizen?
True, but not many markets will support a 5000% markup either.
How far back? Ronald Reagan lauds National Review in 1981.
Drug Warriors have really been taking it in the shorts lately.
Are you still trolling the drug threads with your pro-dope agenda?
You got the zot once before and I promise you - you retread troll ‘swipe - I will LMAO when you get zotted again.
For starters agent orange the poppy fields in Afghanistan and the coca fields in the south or cut of all aid and trade. Stop arresting misdemeanor possession mutts and stick to the mass distributors. Shoot we can listen to American citizens at will why not there phones and emails...
So, we’re supposed to give up on the war on drugs since we’ve lost.
We’ve also lost the war on illegal immigrants.
We’ve lost the wars on murder, rape, theft, assault, speeding cars. I supposed we should just legalize everything because we can’t stop evil.
Their not there.
Can we stop the war on poverty and green house gases and what not now?
Indeed. This pot legalization is quite Orwellian in that I knew EBT cards would pay for it and that discrimination suits are going to pop out in favor of drug using lawyers and corrupt cops... just like with the so called war on gays is a an exageration to promote a war on family.
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