Drugs

Part of the "Critiques of Libertarianism" site.
http://world.std.com/~mhuben/libindex.html

Last updated 10/25/07.

Libertarians see no role for government at all in regulating or prohibiting drugs of any sort, for recreation or for treatment, to any age. Ridiculous.

That's patently stupid, as it would allow unlimited aggressive marketing of addictive and harmful substances even to children. While drugs might be "individual choices", they obviously produce externalities for family and society.

Links

Cocaine, Marijuana, and Heroin: We do not have to choose between the two extremes -- an all-out war on drugs or a libertarian free market -- usually presented in the American debate. More moderate and beneficial alternatives are possible.
The Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs, Chapter 69. Policy issues and recommendations.: A 1972 report detailing pragmatic alternatives to the drug war from a public health point of view, without the ridiculous libertarian demand for total deregulation.
Don't Legalize Drugs: Theodore Dalrymple's City Journal article warns of the many unexpected results that are likely from adopting legalization of drugs as a social policy. Very pragmatic.
Debunking Libertarianism: An anti-legalization site cites a retired DEA officer's quotation of Theodore Dalrymple's article about problems of legalizing drugs.
NEW 5/06: The Case Against Legalization: M.A. Paarlberg explains why libertarian-style drug legalization is the wrong approach for ending the drug war.

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Copyright 2007 by Mike Huben ( mhuben@world.std.com ).
This document may be freely distributed for non-commercial purposes if it is reproduced in its textual entirety, with this notice intact.