Current Events — HabitableZone

Current Events » in reply to Well, you don't expect the gov't to do it.

Legalization
Tom Brosz — (archived)

<The jail facilities which would be freed would be occupied by folks stealing, carjacking, and so on.

Theoretically, the lower costs of legal drugs would preclude having to turn to crime to afford it. Not too many winos have to rob banks to get their Thunderbird. The big issue is how many people would take advantage of cheaper, more available drugs to become human wreckage. Would the drain on society from these people be more or less than the financial drain of the drug wars (including the costs of imprisoning thousands of dopers?)

A good start would be to legalize something relatively benign (depending on who you ask) like marijuana, and see what happens over a few years. As a major drug of choice, this would take a lot of pressure off the legal system, but not be as controversial or potentially dangerous as legalizing heroin, for example. Naturally, all the laws applying to alcohol (age limits, driving laws, etc.) would apply.

And frankly, I can think of no logical argument why marijuana and alcohol should not be treated exactly the same--with both being either legal, or illegal.

Yeah, Prohibition was a lousy idea, as far as crime and corruption was concerned, but what most people don't know is that drinking problems actually were reduced considerably. Was it worth it?

Not easy questions.

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