re: “On the contrary, teens report that they can get pot more easily than they can get cigarettes or beer. It seems the best way to restrict access for teens is to make the producct legal for adults, so sellers have an incentive to restrict their sales to adults - that incentive being the potential loss of their legal adult market (through loss of license) if they sell to teens.”
All I’m saying is that alcohol and legal perscription drugs are far more of a problem than illegal drugs. Alcohol is involved in more traffic fatalities, domestic violence, than illegal drugs.
As to Prohibition, yes there were more speakeasys than legal bars after it was enacted. That’s why I said it depends on which group is quoting “facts” about Prohibition. There are other statistics that say that alcohol consumption reduced during Prohibition overall - others say no it stayed the same, others said it went up. I don’t know. The statistics are vague from state to state during that time.
I’m only surmising that accessibility is the reason alcohol is the problem it is today. Adding illegal drugs by legalizing them only worsens the problem.
Both drugs and alcohol have always been accessible to Americans. Drugs are accessible now to anyone who wants them, and at an affordable price. The drug war has utterly failed to control availability.
What you are apparently missing is the fact that the vast majority in this country has always chosen alcohol as its drug of choice. That was true even during the 20s when pot was legal and alcohol was prohibited. Your explanation simply doesn't stand up.
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Also, how do you justify supporting the ongoing violation of the Tenth Amendment that national prohibition requires?