The government on drugs Print
Written by Tim Worstall   
Sunday, 12 August 2007
I will admit to a little surprise that the website drugs.gov.uk is not devoted to the remarkable way in which proto Cabinet Ministers are seemingly immune to the charms of THC. Surely such a remarkable occurence, that all currently there who did smoke cannabis didn't enjoy it is worthy of research?

But no, the site is actually home to the usual wibble about drugs are bad, m'kay? Try this consultation paper : a highlight (yes, a highlight!) is that Class A drug use is stable. There is, however, one area of interest. Over here , they are actually asking for your views. So, may I ask you to both proffer your views and spread the word to others who might wish to offer theirs?

As the radical progressive liberal that I am (radical: address the root causes please, progressive: Govt can indeed do things, including get out of the way, liberal: Smith, Ricardo and Mill, they're our boys!) of course I have argued that the entire problem will be solved (in so far as the desire of human beings to get blitzed can be "solved") by legalization.

It is possible that you are so misinformed as to disagree with this view in which case can I urge you to read this from Milton Friedman?
The path you propose of more police, more jails, use of the military in foreign countries, harsh penalties for drug users, and a whole panoply of repressive measures can only make a bad situation worse. The drug war cannot be won by those tactics without undermining the human liberty and individual freedom that you and I cherish.

You are not mistaken in believing that drugs are a scourge that is devastating our society. You are not mistaken in believing that drugs are tearing asunder our social fabric, ruining the lives of many young people, and imposing heavy costs on some of the most disadvantaged among us. You are not mistaken in believing that the majority of the public share your concerns. In short, you are not mistaken in the end you seek to achieve.

Your mistake is failing to recognize that the very measures you favor are a major source of the evils you deplore. Of course the problem is demand, but it is not only demand, it is demand that must operate through repressed and illegal channels. Illegality creates obscene profits that finance the murderous tactics of the drug lords; illegality leads to the corruption of law enforcement officials; illegality monopolizes the efforts of honest law forces so that they are starved for resources to fight the simpler crimes of robbery, theft and assault.

Drugs are a tragedy for addicts. But criminalizing their use converts that tragedy into a disaster for society, for users and non-users alike.
Even if that doesn't convince you, would you still like to tell them what you think? And do remember to be polite, it really doesn't do to insult the servants.
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