Eh, he’s only agreeing with The Economist, not noted for being a bunch of radical capitalists. July 26, 2001, http://www.economist.com/node/706591, http://www.economist.com/node/709603. Unfortunately, those are only available to subscribers. The author, Frances Cairncross, makes a good moral argument based on John Stuart Mill, as well as the practical arguments.
WinstonOctober 6, 2010 6:04 pm
The only thing I dislike, and it’s not at all unique to this article, is the ‘legalize, tax and regulate’ mantra that you constantly hear from the anti-prohibition crowd.
It always smacks of cowardice to me. “Pleasepleaseplease let us smoke dope! I’ll gladly let you control all aspects of the industry, ban usage just about everywhere short of my own home and charge $6 per gram in taxes alone! Pretty please I promise we’ll be good!”
Why is it that people who know good and well how badly the government has failed with drug prohibition, would in the event of legalization, suddenly have faith in that same government to make the taxes and regulations very reasonable and agreeable and make everybody happy?
DrillSgtKOctober 7, 2010 4:38 am
I’m glad to see main stream people now not demanding everyone be locked up, but i also agree with Winston.
I’m thinking that this is a first step. a way to get the ‘nose’ of the camel in the tent. I passed the link on to my facebook friends and twitter crew. It is a start.
MattOctober 7, 2010 10:07 am
One could argue that why should marijuana be regulated, controlled and taxed at a lesser rate than Beer or Tobacco?
But please remember. The drug cartels liquor companies, pharmaceutical companies, prison companies, law enforcement, lawyers etc all need marijuana and other drugs to stay illegal. They will fight teeth and nail to keep the status quo, otherwise they lose their money and power.
MamaLibertyOctober 7, 2010 11:40 am
That’s ok, folks. The whole question will be moot when the next “war on” gets goin good. Or hadn’t you noticed that the next one will be the “war on food?” “War on water?” How about the war on thinking?
Get your black market contacts lined up now. We’re going to wish it was only as bad as alcohol prohibition. After all, you don’t really NEED to drink or smoke. Food and water, however, are a little more dicey.
cctykerOctober 7, 2010 7:00 pm
No one’s mentioned the problem of risk premium. Since drugs are illegal and enforcement is strong and cruel, there is a risk for the dealer and all the other people in the chain. That risk is a getting caught and to what degree you are involved. The bigger your operation in drugs, the stronger the judicial punishment.
It makes sense then to charge for your risk. Thus, drugs are marked way up in price — to make it worth it for people to take the risk of providing drugs.
Legalize drugs and the risk vanishes, prices come down, crime and gangs vanish, as they did after Prohibition, and no one has any illegal threat they can hold over your head to make you either stay with drugs so others can profit, or make you do some other illegal activity you don’t want to do, but you do anyway so you are not turned into the law.
MamaLibertyOctober 9, 2010 7:29 am
cctyker, sure… as long as you pay all the taxes, aren’t under a certain age, are not otherwise prohibited, don’t use it in prohibited places, etc.
Eh, he’s only agreeing with The Economist, not noted for being a bunch of radical capitalists. July 26, 2001, http://www.economist.com/node/706591, http://www.economist.com/node/709603. Unfortunately, those are only available to subscribers. The author, Frances Cairncross, makes a good moral argument based on John Stuart Mill, as well as the practical arguments.
The only thing I dislike, and it’s not at all unique to this article, is the ‘legalize, tax and regulate’ mantra that you constantly hear from the anti-prohibition crowd.
It always smacks of cowardice to me. “Pleasepleaseplease let us smoke dope! I’ll gladly let you control all aspects of the industry, ban usage just about everywhere short of my own home and charge $6 per gram in taxes alone! Pretty please I promise we’ll be good!”
Why is it that people who know good and well how badly the government has failed with drug prohibition, would in the event of legalization, suddenly have faith in that same government to make the taxes and regulations very reasonable and agreeable and make everybody happy?
I’m glad to see main stream people now not demanding everyone be locked up, but i also agree with Winston.
I’m thinking that this is a first step. a way to get the ‘nose’ of the camel in the tent. I passed the link on to my facebook friends and twitter crew. It is a start.
One could argue that why should marijuana be regulated, controlled and taxed at a lesser rate than Beer or Tobacco?
But please remember. The drug cartels liquor companies, pharmaceutical companies, prison companies, law enforcement, lawyers etc all need marijuana and other drugs to stay illegal. They will fight teeth and nail to keep the status quo, otherwise they lose their money and power.
That’s ok, folks. The whole question will be moot when the next “war on” gets goin good. Or hadn’t you noticed that the next one will be the “war on food?” “War on water?” How about the war on thinking?
Get your black market contacts lined up now. We’re going to wish it was only as bad as alcohol prohibition. After all, you don’t really NEED to drink or smoke. Food and water, however, are a little more dicey.
No one’s mentioned the problem of risk premium. Since drugs are illegal and enforcement is strong and cruel, there is a risk for the dealer and all the other people in the chain. That risk is a getting caught and to what degree you are involved. The bigger your operation in drugs, the stronger the judicial punishment.
It makes sense then to charge for your risk. Thus, drugs are marked way up in price — to make it worth it for people to take the risk of providing drugs.
Legalize drugs and the risk vanishes, prices come down, crime and gangs vanish, as they did after Prohibition, and no one has any illegal threat they can hold over your head to make you either stay with drugs so others can profit, or make you do some other illegal activity you don’t want to do, but you do anyway so you are not turned into the law.
cctyker, sure… as long as you pay all the taxes, aren’t under a certain age, are not otherwise prohibited, don’t use it in prohibited places, etc.
Still not freedom.