Effects of Ending Drugs
Posted on April 27, 2008
Filed Under Politics |
Marginal Revolution has an interesting discussion on what would happen if drugs were legalized. I tend to agree that a lot of the problem are drug-users and not just the crime around selling. But the effects of the government war on drugs are horrendous. I wish we could end that.
The real issue to me is Afghanistan. What could we achieve there if we weren’t simultaneously trying to stop the Taliban and stop opium farmers. Given them a legal cash crop and market. (I should note that in Turkey they do have that with US approval - I don’t understand why we won’t do this in Afghanistan.)
Comments
That’s possible, but I don’t see how that would keep them from legalizing poppy production that went through the central government to pharmaceutical companies. That could be done without a strong central government by working with the warlords if nothing else. It’d then be giving the people a cash crop without turning them against you.
Gee, we went to the Moon and won the cold war but we just can’t seem to find Osama or stop those poppy farmers!
That’s possible, but I don’t see how that would keep them from legalizing poppy production that went through the central government to pharmaceutical companies.
Well, we’re not working in a vacuum here. We would have to offer a similar rate of return than what they are now getting. Whether that’s economically feasible I simply don’t know.
Howard, eliminating Osama and the poppies are not a problem. It’s the cost of doing so that is the problem. We could certainly destroy the northern tribes of Pakistan and root out ben Landen but the cost in lives alone would be horrendous. As to the poppy fields, napalm the suckers. Of course, your napalming the people also. But the poppies would be gone.
Rich
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Probably Afghanistan lacks the strong central government Turkey has.
Rich