Organization: University of Maine System
Date: Tuesday, 7 Apr 1992 18:17:24 EDT
From: Nicholas C. Hester <IA80024@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,alt.individualism
Subject: Re: Drug Legalization. Was: College Was: Perot
Distribution: usa
 <1992Apr2.213645.14868@athena.mit.edu>
 <1992Apr3.045730.16079@news.iastate.edu> <1992Apr3.223541.2704@athena.mit.edu>
 <1992Apr6.135722.14824@athena.mit.edu> <rq8f0INN1kn@matt.ksu.ksu.edu>

In article <rq8f0INN1kn@matt.ksu.ksu.edu>, strat@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (Steve Davis)
says:
>
>government control on the movement or sale of drugs (except drug
>busts...), which means that anyone can try to push drugs on a street
>corner.  Consequently, the quality of the merchandise is not as high as
>it would be if these drugs were part of government regulated industry.

By this I think you mean "pure" by not being "cut" with other things?
In the days when drugs were sold over the counter they were themselves
cut, there-by reducing their potency.  To clarify, my use of "drugs"
means opium and cocaine.  Marijuana was easily harvested anywhere.


>Now, if these drugs were legalized, and a regulated industry was
>established to distribute these drugs, the following things would
>happen.  1) The price would drop, negating problem one in the first
>paragraph.

This would happen if drugs were simply decriminalized, wouldn't it?


>            Because our government can easily undersell the mafia (when
>it wants too), people will buy drugs from the government INSTEAD of the
>mafia.  What's more, these government "clinics" would be full of
>medical personell, pamphlets, instructional videos, and so on... all
>designed to help people break their dependency on these drugs.  If drug
>use is treated as a disease, rather than a crime, there is a better
>chance of reducing it!  2) Because our government would be providing
>the drugs (or at least regulating the industry), there would be quality
>safeguards.  The drug-related deaths in this country could be almost
>eliminated in a few short months.  This eliminates problem number 2
>from the above paragraph.  3)  Because the sale of drugs would be
>institutionalized, there would be no place for mafia-style drug lords.
>They would just dissapear!  Since bad drugs are a big business in this
>country, what would be easier than simply removing the profit
>incentive?  Do you think Al Capone would have been involved in the
>mafia if he knew he couldn't make a dollar at it?  4)  I believe that

Why buy from the gov't?  I believe this would lead to gov't interference
in our personal choices as well by limiting our choices.  Have  private
retail outlets like regular liquor stores, supplied by privategrowers
or wholesale distributors.  Pamphlets can be placed at retail outlets
along with warning labels on the product packaging.


>the "war on some drugs" has caused more harm than good.  By eliminating
>it, we eliminate part of the sociatal problem!

I agree.
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Xref: sparky talk.politics.misc:18131 alt.society.civil-liberty:3441