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ADMIT DEFEAT AND LEGALIZE DRUGS
National Center for Policy Analysis ^
| 09-17-01
Posted on 09/17/2001 11:39:53 AM PDT by sendtoscott
ADMIT DEFEAT AND LEGALIZE DRUGS
Despite the billions of taxpayer dollars spent to prosecute the
War on Drugs, many experts have concluded that that effort has
failed. Nobel laureate economist Gary S. Becker has recently
written about the debate over cutting our losses and legalizing
drugs.
He argues legalization should be combined with a high "sin" tax
on users, safeguards against sales to children, and severe
punishment to anyone who works or drives while impaired by drugs.
o The U.S. alone spends almost $40 billion annually fighting
the drug war.
o Drug offenders now account for more that 30 percent of all
U.S. inmates.
o Estimates place the world market value of illegal drugs at
several hundreds of billions of dollars.
Legalization proponents cite history and borrow from policies
governing other substances to explain how legalization might
work.
o Ending Prohibition and legalizing alcohol almost
immediately cleaned up the liquor industry -- and started
the process of depriving gangsters of their lucrative
markets.
o Lowering street prices for drugs -- thereby encouraging
greater consumption -- could be offset by high excise
taxes.
o Sales to minors could be discouraged by harsh punishments
-- in much the same way we control sales of alcohol and
cigarettes to children.
o Those who drive or work under the influence of drugs might
be subject to the same punishments some nations impose on
drunk drivers -- loss of licenses, fines and stiff jail
sentences.
Critics say the present system has not been effective in
discouraging drug experimentation among the young in part because
suppliers are subject to punishments whether they sell to adults
or children.
Source: Gary S. Becker (University of Chicago), "It's Time to
Give Up the War on Drugs," Business Week, September 17, 2001.
For more on Drug Use and Control
http://www.ncpa.org/pd/social/social4.html
TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS:
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To: sendtoscott
Why so we can greatly increase the number of losers high on drugs and watch tens of thousands of more people die at the hands of drug addicts. Legalizing drugs is moronic. How many people do you to see die so losers can have the right to get high and endanger others?
To: Ol' Sparky
Well - I am not going to argue, but check out this: http://www.enabling.org/ia/szasz/
3
posted on
09/17/2001 11:55:33 AM PDT
by
konva
To: Ol' Sparky
Legalizing drugs is the safest, smartest, cheapest, easiest, and sanest solution to a perennial problem. We've seen to many people die because losers don't have the right to get high. Those losers would be less likely to rob and steal, as drugs would be significantly cheaper. We could spend a fraction of the money we spend on the War on Drugs to treat those losers who get themselves addicted. The even more dangerous losers who make money of drug-using losers now will be put out of business. At the very least, legalize marijuana. At least it makes losers peaceful. Also remember that drunk losers kill more people than drug-addicted losers by a wide margin.
To: Egregious Philbin
You guys are nuts. The flow of illegal drugs into this country is about to END. If they don't then our ability to stop terrorists and bombs from entering is no better.
5
posted on
09/17/2001 12:01:39 PM PDT
by
Naspino
To: sendtoscott
The DEA has a lot of valuable manpower and experience. They're quite good at chasing world-girdling networks of scumbags. Rather than wasting their time chasing drug dealers I want them shifted over to the war on Bint Laden and his ilk.
To: Ol' Sparky
Why so we can greatly increase the number of losers high on drugs and watch tens of thousands of more people die at the hands of drug addicts. So why don't we outlaw alcohol again?
To: N00dleN0gg1n
Excellent suggestion. I'd expand it to several other three-letter organizations as well.
To: sendtoscott
Drug use and dealing (and all aspects of same) will be sharply curtailed due to tight security measures that are being put in place as a result of the attack.
9
posted on
09/17/2001 12:11:16 PM PDT
by
Jackie
To: Naspino, all
You guys are nuts. The flow of illegal drugs into this country is about to END. Yes, once America is 'secure' like it's maximum-security prisons, there will be no drugs anywhere, just like maximum-security prisons.
/sarcasm
I cannot believe how out of touch with reality some people are.
To: Naspino
What a joke. The afternoon of Sept. 11, you couldn't get a pizza delivered in Lower Manhattan. My journalist friend was able to get a large bag of marijuana delivered to his apartment though. The trouble with your scenario is that most drugs consumed in the US, with the exception of heroin, is produced in the US. We have better things to devote these monies to now. Time to cut our losses and RUN from the drug war.
11
posted on
09/17/2001 12:12:01 PM PDT
by
motexva
To: sendtoscott
I hate the WOD as much as anyone BUT ... right now we have larger fish to fry. Can we table this for a little while like they did the Klamath Falls discussion. We need unity right now and do not need to be distracted. At least for a few weeks .........
To: Ol' Sparky
Legalizing drugs is moronic. Au contraire. Criminalizing is moronic. Turkey has already done the hard leg work in tracking funds and drugs back to the terrorist organizations, like Usama's.
While any substance remains criminalized, there will naturally be a black market for it. While there are black markets, there will always be profit.
Criminalizing facilitates the funding of terrorists.
You're all for funding them. You must be one of them or a sympathizer.
P.S. - Before you get your mouth and fingers all engaged before your brain, you might want to think about how many countries have identified their alcohol distillers as providing major funding to terrorist organizations.
To: Ol' Sparky
Legalizing drugs is moronic.
No,you are. The "war on civil rights" that masquerades as a "war on drugs" is killing out system of private property rights.
But, for your information, marijuana is already legal for treatment of glaucoma symptoms, cocaine is legal for anesthesia use in eye surgery, morphine (synthetic heroin) is legal and in widespread medical use, peyote is legally used in religious services, psychoactive drugs (as well as good old uppers and downers) are legal and widely used in psychiatric treatment. And, well, god bless us, all that is going on here in the good old (drugs are bad) USA.
To: sendtoscott
Oh, thank God. A drug war thread. I never thought I'd see one again.
15
posted on
09/17/2001 12:15:11 PM PDT
by
strela
To: strela
Remember when I told you I stood shoulder to shoulder with you on a particular issue ???
This ain't the one
To: strela
"Oh, thank God. A drug war thread. I never thought I'd see one again."Just a sign that we ARE returning to our daily lives......which means the terrorists LOST.
redrock
17
posted on
09/17/2001 12:16:54 PM PDT
by
redrock
To: redrock
Het redrock... It was GREAT meeting you in Klamath Falls
To: sendtoscott
Although I am one of the biggest supporters of the legalization of "illegal" drugs, I will admit it will never happen unless:
1) The government is overthrown, or
2) They can find a way to do it without admitting they have been waging an illegal war for thrity years and been violating the constitution with all other "weapons" of that war.
Somehow, I don't see our oh so honest government finally admitting they had no right to do what they have been doing for thirty years. I hope things change, though.
To: sendtoscott
Why? And miss the fun of the Air Force, Air National Guard, and Coast Guard blowing the smugglers planes and boats to bits? Hell, I'll be able to go to the beach down here in Florida and watch the carnage. No way. If I can't have football I want to see twin engined Cessnas against F-16's.
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