Drugs are bad, right? Everyone knows that. They'll ruin your life and drive you into a spiral of addiction and crime, ending in prison or death.
Okay, Chester, put down the beer and come with me. Don't you know that psychoactive recreational drugs are bad? Oh, never mind. We came to our senses about that recreational drug long ago:
| Alcohol Prohibition | Drug Prohibition |
|---|---|
| Attempted to control a range of potentially dangerous substances by making them illegal. | Attempts to control a range of potentially dangerous substances by making them illegal 1 . |
| Did not stop alcohol users from using alcohol. | Does not stop drug users from using drugs. |
| Created a black market for a very popular product, thus inflating prices and reducing tax revenues. | Created a black market for a very popular product, thus inflating prices (a thousandfold or more) and reducing potential tax revenues. |
| Gave rise to crime syndicates who protected their territory with ruthless violence. | Gave rise to street gangs who protected their territory with ruthless violence. |
| Turned ordinary people into criminals for getting drunk. | Turns ordinary people into criminals for getting high. |
| Caused political corruption and prosecutorial abuses. | Causes political corruption and prosecutorial abuses. |
| Repealed by popular demand. | Getting more tax dollars every year. |
But don't drugs support crime and terrorism?
No. Drug Prohibition supports crime and terrorism, by creating an artificial shortage in the marketplace. It is the very illegality of them that creates the black market, with the vast majority of the profits going out of the country into the hands of brutal warlords or even more brutal terrorists. You don't see Columbian FARC rebels smuggling tobacco or vodka, because the profits don't support the risk. Nor do modern day Al Capones grow rich by providing fermented spirits to a thirsty clientele. Instead, the U.S. government regulates their quality and ingredients, and collects substantial taxes on their sale.
The model we should emulate is, ironically enough, the tobacco model. It's legal (for adults), the health and lifestyle consequences are very well publicized, and it's heavily taxed to offset the inevitable societal damage. We haven't cut smoking drastically from the 50's by prohibiting it, but by educating the populace and making it less socially acceptable.