[net.legal] alcohol and drug laws

geb@cadre.UUCP (05/24/84)

There has been a lot of discussion on net.legal about the absurdity
of alcohol laws.  It is interesting that no one (at least I didn't see
it) has commented on the similar absurdity of our drug laws.  

Medically speaking, alcohol is more damaging to the body than most
of the other commonly abused drugs (such as cocaine, opiates, and
cannibis).  Most of the morbidity from intravenous use comes from
lack of sterile technique, which is probably in large part due to the
fact that access to sterile syringes is illegal in most states.
Seemingly the only argument for prohibition that would have a hope
of validity is that we have enough legal poisons already (tobacco,
alcohol) and adding some others would increase misery in society.  This
must be balanced against the fact that adults (I am not arguing
that children should be able to take drugs, or alcohol) should
be given responsibility for what they choose to ingest (and held
accountable for any acts committed under the influence), and the
realization that much social misery concomitant with ILLEGAL
drug use is visited upon innocent bystanders (junkie mugs tourist
in NYC to get money to buy drugs which are artificially high-priced
and peddled by Mafia who use the profits for more mischief).
The other aspect is the terrific tax-payer-footed bill for enforcement
of the drug laws.  The costs of Delorean's trial alone will probably
exceed the actual cost of purchasing (on the legal medical market)
enough doses of morphine to satisfy all the heroin addicts in the
country for a year.  All of this money is spent for completely
non-productive purposes.  

I doubt if legalization would greatly increase the number of addicts
in this country, and may even decrease them since "pushing" would
no longer be profitable.  Sterile IV technique and drugs free of
dangerous adulterants would certainly diminsh the medical morbidity
of drug abuse.  

Of course, given the current moral and political climate in this
country, I realize that such a proposal has little hope of being
seriously considered.

I should add that I myself take neither drugs, alcohol, nor tobacco.