Raw Milk Followup: Liberty vs. The Public Good
Channel: C0nc0rdance
Date: 29/10/2010

I wanted to post a quick followup and clarification, plus I would love to have a little feedback from you on the role of liberty and limits when it conflicts with public good.

Here's the text for the scenarios:
cenario 1:

A woman is selling a cure for cancer which she claims is very effective, but which scientists have repeatedly shown is simply rubbing alcohol which can cause blindness when consumed.  Patients are flocking to her clinic with the hope of a cure and forsaking conventional treatments.  This includes the elderly, children, and many who have hailed her as a miracle worker.  A charismatic cult has built up around her treatments.  She charges ten thousand dollars a week and most treatments are 4 to 5 weeks long.

The question is:  should the government intervene to stop her?  Why or why not?

Scenario 2:

A small business is selling a new herbal product that causes people to experience hallucinations and enter a dream-like trance for several hours.  It's a non-addictive hallucinogen to most people, but 2% of people have a violent reaction, and a small percentage of them end up comatose or brain injured.  Some people have developed injuries as a result of the use of the product, and there have been some cases where children were given the product by older children.  The media has covered the injuries, but the company still effectively sells their product.

The question, as before, is:  should the government intervene to stop the sale of the product?  Why or why not.

Scenario 3:

Illegal heroin use is a serious issue for many countries, not least the US.  This is of course a real scenario, but the question here is much broader.  What limits, if any, would you place on liberty with regards to the decriminalization of the manufacturing, transport, sale and use of heroin?

Look forward to responses!