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I am not as sure as Michael about this. Prohibition was a mixed
success. Overall, alcohol consumption had been dropping before
prohibition, bounced back some during prohibition, but was clearly
lower than it had been in the 19-teens. The benefit to society
ironically came before prohibition. <br>
<br>
Alcohol & violence: it is a huge factor even to this day. While
gangs no longer battle each other, among the lower classes, alcohol
precipitates tremendous violence, possibly overall more violence than
during prohibition. All drugs to a greater or lesser extent impair
human capabilities, with a possible exception of caffeine in moderate
doses. So we pay a social price for the human need to alter
consciousness.<br>
<br>
The problem with legalizing drugs is that it is a social experiment,
and fraught with danger. Every society I am aware of that is successful
at handling mind-altering drugs incorporates them into religious and
social rituals. We have no such. Therefore it may be much safer to
limit their use as far as possible.<br>
<br>
It is true that the most successful systems of alcohol control seem to
be in states where there is a state monopoly on sales of wine and
distilled spirits. So there may be something to be said for a state
monopoly (coming from me, a libertarian, that is an admission!). <br>
<br>
Finally, the concept of some drugs being victimless contradicts my
experience. Ain't no such. I have seen much family damage done from
marijuana, and have treated patients with all kinds of drug abuse. They
are all - alcohol and tobacco included - very damaging and dangerous.
But weed, cocaine, and the like are particularly vicious in their
alienating of the user from friends and family.<br>
Lynn Johnson<br>
<br>
Michael Christopher wrote:<br>
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cite="mid20040823181355.18384.qmail@web13424.mail.yahoo.com">
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<pre wrap="">The world cocaine system is a clear and present
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<pre wrap=""><!---->danger to world security just as serious as Al Quieda.
We cannot afford to wait for the millennium before
minimizing it.<<
--Simple solution to that. Stop violently punishing
users and dealers, which would eliminate the violence
surrounding the trade. People shot each other in the
streets once when alcohol was banned, that's why they
repealed the ban. They decided it was better that
people harm themselves than force everyone to live
with the danger created by an underground trade.
As long as drugs are dealt with as a "war", it will
create conditions which promote terrorism. If we dealt
with alcohol and tobacco the way we deal with other
deadly drugs, we'd realize IMMEDIATELY why such an
approach doesn't work. Instead, we ignore medical
research and deal with drugs as if they were an issue
of good vs. evil. We create the violence we fear, just
as we created a violent alcohol trade at one time.
A cocaine addict is no more harmful to society than an
alcohol addict, but when you ban the substance, it
creates a culture of violence which IS harmful.
Michael
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