Economics Roundtable: Legalizing Drugs

Boston University Economist Jeffrey Miron argues that legalizing drugs would lower the crime rate, cut the demand for guns, reduce the spread of AIDS and improve race relations in this address to the UCSD Economics Roundtable. Series: "Economics Roundtable" [5/2000] [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 4824]

Category:

Education

Tags:

• drug
• use
• users
• laws

[bluestatesrock]

My son overdosed 2004. I don't speak casually when I endorse legalization. I believe he might have lived had the money wasted on the pointless drug war and encarceration of addicts been redirected to drug treatment, management, or perhaps if my son had a "measured dose". Maybe whoever was with him wouldn't have left him for dead had they not feared the police.

With Clinton talking yesterday about the violence in Mexico. I am surprised there is not more discussion of this topic.

[Claytrainor]

Respect to you and your son, and thank you for taking the logical position on this issue

Be sure to wake up as many people as you can with your story :-)

[ZyClave]

jeffrey miron is insanely intelligent! He explains and argues incredebly well for libertarianism! God, i love listening to smart people!

[andria3a]

@bluestatesrock

You're a shining light in the world to understand all this and promote a more compassionate , pragmatic and economically infinitely more sensible position!

From an addict who survived..

Andria

[kev3d]

@joeyrifficify Another example is Mexico, while drugs have been illegal for quite some time, the violence between the cartels and with police was much lower because there was a lot of bribery and turned backs. But the current Calderon administration has taken a "hard stance" against drugs; the result is horrible violence and a dramatic increase in the murder rate, particularly in the border towns. Of course illegal drug sales fuel gang activity and turf wars in the US as well.

[kev3d]

@joeyrifficify Portugal. Since they have decriminalized, drug use has actually fallen, as have HIV rates. The hotbed of legal pot (and some other things), Amsterdam actually sees less marijuana consumption per capita than the United States. Furthermore, within the United States, we saw the effects of prohibition with alcohol and it did far more harm than good. Crack and Meth are products of prohibition, as the interdiction drove up the price of safer drugs.

[joeyrifficify]

@StanleyDonwood What needs to be done? Do we need to change all their minds? Is it only important that all those people want something, or is their reason for wanting it also relevant?

[joeyrifficify]

People make a lot of blanket assertions about what "would" happen or "would not" happen, but I see little empirical evidence to support legalization. What Countries or States have had permissive policies concerning drugs, other than, e.g., Afghanistan? What effects have such policies had on these Countries or States? I also notice that almost every responder favors legalization. Might this be an example of confirmation bias in action?

[StanleyDonwood]

Does anyone read The Economist? They published a poll today, which asked Americans, among wide political issues, what they thought of the legalisation of marijuana for personal use(note: not just medical use, recreational use too). Huge majority on young, similarly large majority among middle-aged people, slight majority in the over 65s. There was even a majority in favour among Republicans! It's getting really ridiculous, something has to be done.

[StanleyDonwood]

@bluestatesrock

Plenty of people in your situation might just get angry, and do something stupid - like supporting the war on drugs. I admire you for thinking about it, and for coming to a sensible point of view.

[ConservativeRev]

Welp we should legalize drugs. That's the best option. Our other alternative is to fight the war on drugs differently, put the user in prison for a long-ass time, that's a good way to kick a habbit. And it will hurt the demand because people will be more scared to get caught.

[jerryvalez]

What I don't understand is that it seems when I talk to people, just random people, about drug legalization, almost everyone seems very open to the idea, even some you wouldn't suspect. Who are these folks that want to continue to use law enforcement against drug users? Why is their no national out cry about this, it is so obvious that legalization would greatly benefit society, I just don't understand why this is not a regular issue in political discourse, like taxes, the war, or other issues.