Prohibitionists counter: Ending marijuana prohibition "sends the wrong message" that legalizing drugs supposedly connotes societal approval of drug abuse. Oh, really? Then we need to bring back alcohol prohibition because, by that logic, legal alcohol sends the message that alcoholism and alcohol abuse are OK. Obviously, that's not true. And we're not going back to alcohol prohibition. We need to turn in a different direction.This is probably the most important part of the article. It shows the truly statist mindset of the Drug Warriors. In its implication that legality implies government approval, it goes beyond mere statism and approaches totalitarianism.
-Eric
That is an excellent point. For the drug war zealots, the government is the nexus of and final arbiter of societal standards and morals. This is where supporters of the drug wars find kinship with socialism, yet they deride the libertarian minded and try to link them with the left on this issue - how ironic.