Replies

In that case we agree completely. There are experts who study the hard-science of addiction, and the epidemiology is clear-cut: there will be more drug addicts, and we know roughly how many at least over the long term, and assuming society does not drastically change. There will be fewer non-violent offenders in prison, and we know that number, too. We will do less violence to our Constitution, and I like that. But we will also have more dead pedestrians and motorists, and many of them will be innocent victims, and I'm not so sanguine about those. But again... trade-offs.

I agree with you that many Libertarians are kooks, stoners, or utopians (having, many years ago been one -- Libertarian, that is -- I'll take an oath on the number of crazies in the Party) who seem to have very childish beliefs about the benefits.

If Paul sticks to the Constitutionalists' position that this is not a Federal matter any more than wife-beating (which is now also a Federal Beef) I would have no problem with the position.

I also believe that other benefits of legalization may not come to pass. Lowering the cost of drugs and less drug related violence likely will not happen.

Taxation and regulation will take care of any cost savings. Drug gangs will move to even greater marketing efforts to youths, since they will never allow minors to shoot up heroin, etc.

I also fear a whole new class of welfare for the poor souls who cannot be allowed to “fall through the net” if they get addicted. There are always unintended consequences.

[. . . there will be more drug addicts, and we know roughly how many at least over the long term. . .]

I agree. The most widely accepted theory of narcotics addiction and alcoholism is the “disease model” in which the patient has a genetic predisposition to chronic drug or alcohol abuse. The percentage of true drunks and junkies in the general population remains static. The disease is not confined to any ethnic, economic or social class. Though the damage caused by chemical dependency has a social, legal and economic impact it originates from a medical, physiological cause.

The multi-billion-dollar illicit drug industry begins and ends with the American junkie and with millions of recreational users, not the other way around. “We have met the enemy and he is us.”