Prohibition: So What?

It's a problem as far as hard drugs go and keeping minors away from them. Driving under the influence is an example. I don't know if you could apply the logic of an alkie mom and dad turning the kids into alcoholics to things like intravenous heroin use, but I think you get my idea.

It's hard to say what kind of increase we'd see in underage use across the board, because obviously some people would be enticed by the prospect of legal highs, but then again, some would probably be turned off by the same fact.

I'm not trying to argue that legalization is a totally bunk idea, but I want to make it clear that it comes with its own set of problems. We also can't really guesstimate how people who are strung out on meth will act if they don't have any money to buy it. Crime is still a very real possibility.

If I had to say there's a general concept that drug war advocates promote, it's "quality of life." Cocaine as an illegal drug means there's norms in place to keep people from doing it pretty much anywhere. As a result there's less cocaine-related disturbances between people. I'm not talking about the law, I'm talking instead about day-to-day interactions and how they start to degrade. We see the effects of this with addictions of any kind, its just that the effects of hard drugs are more pronounced.

That being said, I don't know if I totally buy into the idea that legalized cocaine will lead to a less "civilized" society, but there's the possibility, and for some people I think that's enough to make them cringe a bit.

How ya doing, buddy?