Posted on 10/03/2009 3:56:31 PM PDT by Halfmanhalfamazing
Milton Friedman puts forward a compelling case for the legalization of drugs
Worth noting is that it seems that Friedman looks at this exclusively as an economist.
LEO oppose it because it would remove pre conviction asset forfeitures.
And without those asset forfeitures, the drug lords lose a way to pay off the LEOs with cars, cash, boats, real estates, etc.
I choose freedom.
People can destroy themselves in any number of ways. We can’t stop self destructive people from harming themselves and virtually every attempt to do so comes at someone else’s expense.
You can’t have freedom if you aren’t free to make less than the best choices for yourself and for your family. As they say freedom isn’t free, well one of those “costs” is people can make bad choices for themselves and suffer the consequences without government to bail them out.
LEOs?
My idea is better than Friedman’s. Make it legal to buy small quantities of a drug for personal use, provided that you have a license from the government. In order to get such a license, you’ve got to convince a government doctor that you are addicted, and that you need these drugs to feed your addiction while you undergo therapy to get off drugs. You’ve also got to commit to treatment. You can only buy these drugs from the government, and the government will sell you only small quantities at a low price, provided that you stick with the treatment regimine.
It will still be illegal to use or possess drugs in any other circumstance. It’ll be illegal to buy them from anyone other than the government. It will be illegal to import them, to sell them (unless you’re the government).
The government will get the drugs that it sells by using narcotics that it seizes in drug busts.
That way, you are putting a bigger squeeze on the industry than Friedman would. You are undercutting their price, and at the same time, increasing their costs. Pretty soon, the industry will be extinct.
Purely from a financial standpoint he is correct however, drugs have never led to a better society.
Does anyone think that the statists won’t find a way to grow government while legalizing drugs?
I have advocated it for years. First, it takes a HUGE amount of power away from the state and federal governments. Second, it removes funding from tens of thousands of members of organized crime. Third, the idiots who take drugs will soon kill themselves.
I have advocated it for years. First, it takes a HUGE amount of power away from the state and federal governments. Second, it removes funding from tens of thousands of members of organized crime. Third, the idiots who take drugs will soon kill themselves.
Without taking a position on the Drug War itself, I still easily can make the observation that we wouldn’t have asset-forfeiture laws if it wasn’t for the Drug War. Which pretty much makes Friedman spot-on with his observation about the role of government.
Not bad. and it doesn’t crminalize the addicts.
I just heard Gov. Arnold tell Wolf Blitzed on CNN several minutes ago that he believes that the legalization issue should be up for discussion. It was very good to hear someone in a position of power admit that.
And they accuse Michelle Malkin of driving a lesbian to suicide? We need our drug laws or we'll be a population of idiots who make mental connections as those Libertarians do.
Incidentally, Ann Coulter tried to join the Libertarian party, but had to leave out of disgust. She also, since then, came out strongly against legalization of those narcotic drugs the Libertarians tout so much.
If you legalize drugs you won’t have an American culture. You’ll have a culture where all the men sit and chew/smoke/swallow/inject happy drugs and then dream all day long. It would be like letting women run the culture while men watch porn/sports/games all day lo....
Never mind.
How will the government tax it if its legal and you plant in your backyard?
As soon as there are tests to determine CURRENT USE, thus protecting my family from those who are driving under the influence, then I’ll say LEGALIZE them all ..and TAX THE EFF OUT OF THEM!!!
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