Legalize, regulate and tax drugs

The world needs to end the war on (Edit: at least soft) drugs. Mexico’s internal stability is, according to some reports, as bad as Pakistan – because of drug lords exporting huge amounts to USA in the north where obviously drug prohibition prevails. 

In India, Dawood and his honchos have flourished – in no small part because of drug trafficking, with disastrous consequences (including possibly 26/11).

Taliban and Al-Qaeda warlords are entrenced in Afghanistan, again in no small part, because of poppy cultivation and trade.

Lets legalize drugs, enforce strict rules for drug consumption by minors, tax drugs instead of spending money on curbing them – and we will see everything from security and stability to yes, police concentration increase.

It is not a very complicated argument.

15 Jan 2009 | By Harsh | Concerning Uncategorized

5 Responses

  1. Shaan January 15th, 2009 at 6:32 pm

    ha…ha…ha… hilarious.

  2. Keshav January 16th, 2009 at 3:35 am

    Shaan -

    I don’t think Swaraj was joking, but I disagree on allowing all drugs. Allowing drugs such as marijuana aren’t as bad, but cocaine, heroine, and the very prevalent opium are things we should try to prevent people from using.

    Perhaps the Drug War isn’t working but there has to be better ways. If the government really wanted, they could use the current corruption to their advantage by infiltrating the drug rings to find out whose doing what.

  3. Harsh January 16th, 2009 at 7:47 am

    Keshav,

    I am personally confused about the harder drugs – and perhaps you are right, we should follow a piecemeal approach and legalize marijuana first.

    Will think/research more about this, and will post again on this issue.

  4. Keshav January 17th, 2009 at 8:12 pm

    Milton Friedman believes in minimum governance, but one of the governments primary functions is defense and security. He should ask himself if the government is responsible for protecting us from ourselves.

    Do we let the mentally disabled and insane run around – no, we generally give them the care they need (or at least people try…).

    The same goes for those who try to commit suicide in America who are forced to undergo seminars and counseling to find the root of the cause.

    In the same way, one could very well argue for the prohibition of alcohol (if it weren’t already a tried and tested bad idea).

    The one upside of this is that if the GOVERNMENT controlled the markets, they could make things harder for the cartels as well as limit how much of cocaine, heroine, and opium was released (assuming it was legalized and nationalized).

  5. Keshav January 19th, 2009 at 5:09 pm

    Read this article from Exiled:
    http://exiledonline.com/national-geographics-anti-drug-propaganda-special/

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