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Milton Friedman: Legalize It!
FORBES.COM WEEKLY NEWSLETTER , JUNE 06, 2005 ^ | 06.02.05, 12:01 AM ET | Quentin Hardy

Posted on 06/06/2005 8:42:41 AM PDT by Che Chihuahua

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - A founding father of the Reagan Revolution has put his John Hancock on a pro-pot report.

Milton Friedman leads a list of more than 500 economists from around the U.S. who today will publicly endorse a Harvard University economist's report on the costs of marijuana prohibition and the potential revenue gains from the U.S. government instead legalizing it and taxing its sale. Ending prohibition enforcement would save $7.7 billion in combined state and federal spending, the report says, while taxation would yield up to $6.2 billion a year.

The report, "The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition," (available at www.prohibitioncosts.org) was written by Jeffrey A. Miron, a professor at Harvard , and largely paid for by the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), a Washington, D.C., group advocating the review and liberalization of marijuana laws.

At times the report uses some debatable assumptions: For instance, Miron assumes a single figure for every type of arrest, for example, but the average pot bust is likely cheaper than bringing in a murder or kidnapping suspect. Friedman and other economists, however, say the overall work is some of the best yet done on the costs of the war on marijuana.

At 92, Friedman is revered as one of the great champions of free-market capitalism during the years of U.S. rivalry with Communism. He is also passionate about the need to legalize marijuana, among other drugs, for both financial and moral reasons.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government
KEYWORDS: agriculture; drugs; freemarket; marijuana; miltonfriedman; wod; wodlist
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To: BrooklynGOP
And druggies tend to vote Democrat.

What about drunkards?

I bet as a rule they do. Basically, it is irresponsible people who vote Dem.

161 posted on 06/17/2005 10:12:28 AM PDT by Aarchaeus
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To: dcwusmc; Che Chihuahua

{sounds of crickets chirping}

What, no reply yet???


162 posted on 06/17/2005 5:36:33 PM PDT by dcwusmc ("The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself.)
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To: the gillman@blacklagoon.com

"Before the War on Drugs, nobody used those drugs."

Before LSD was made illegal in October 1967, you could go to parties where there were tubs of Kool-Aid spiked with LSD. Some bands would pass out free LSD on strips of paper or even on popcorn. It was readily available either for free or for a dollar or two at most big outdoor concerts.

5000 free doses of STP or DOM (same chemical) was passed out in tabs during The Human Be-In Jan 14, 1967. DOM/STP is illegal now and is just not available unless you know a small-scale clan lab. The same is true for most other substituted phenylethylamines- they are not for sale, except for MDMA, MDEA, and (overseas) methylone. 2-CT-2 and 2-CT-7 were made illegal a little while ago, and I don't run into folks who even know what they are any more.

MDMA used to be legal; it was made illegal in 1985. Prior to that date you could buy it over the counter in some bars, I remember some in Texas where that was common, and a few other places in NY and CA. It was much more common then to see someone under the influence, people spoke of it, it was legal, heck, and was basically all over the place. It became pretty popular starting in, I think, 1972 along with its cousin MDA.

Foxy Methoxy (5-Methoxy Diisopropyltryptamine, 5-MEO DIPT) was made illegal in April 2003. Prior to then you could go online and buy gram quantities with a credit card from places like Duncanlabs, omegafinechemicals, pondman.nu, RACResearch and a bunch of others. These guys sold lots and lots of it and other tryptamines, it was common in the club scene and on campuses. It's illegal now.

Each one of these chemicals were made scarce and expensive by making them illegal. There has been no big explosion of Foxy use since 2003, and there is not lots of LSD around, although there is some. There is a fair amount of MDMA available, though, but from what I can see nothing like when it was legal.

True absinthe, containing thujone, has not been available (unless you make it yourself or smuggle it in) since just past the War of Northern Agression. While it is still avalable overseas, it is just not popular in the USA- no explosion of abuse since it was made illegal over a hundred years ago.

LSD was invented in 1938, and Hoffman "discovered" it in 1943. Most of the amphetamines were discovered also in the late '30s. Sasha Shulgin did synthesize lots of stuff in the 70-80 period, but his favorite, MDMA, was invented in Germany in 1937 or so. Heroin was cooked up in the late 1800's, and marijuana has been around for as long as there have been plants.

The fentanyls were indeed invented during the WOsD, but for medical use, not dreamed up as a recreatinal compound like foxy or E. Some fentanyl hybrids like China White show up every now and then, but it's cheaper to make heroin than it is to synthesize fentanyl, especially at home on a stove.


163 posted on 06/17/2005 6:19:51 PM PDT by DBrow
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To: DBrow

Minor clarification- Posession of LSD was illegal in Oct 1967, but it was not made a Schedule 1 drug until October 27, 1970, along with all of the hallucinogens they could think of (like DMT, STP, psilocybin).

Personally I think that researchers should be able to use these drugs for therapy and other uses. Once a body of literature is built up based on honest research, it will be clearer to see which of the tens of thousands of psychoactive compounds are useful, harmless, or irrelevant.


164 posted on 06/17/2005 9:24:46 PM PDT by DBrow (www.maps.org)
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To: dcwusmc; Che Chihuahua

Another 24 hours gone and still no reply to the question. Gee, I wonder why that is. Could it be that there IS no good response for the pro-woddie postion??????


165 posted on 06/18/2005 7:14:42 PM PDT by dcwusmc ("The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself.)
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To: dcwusmc; Che Chihuahua

48 hours since I last pinged you. Your silence speaks volumes about you. Or do you need to get approval from your agency before you can reply?


166 posted on 06/20/2005 7:07:12 PM PDT by dcwusmc ("The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself.)
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To: dcwusmc; Che Chihuahua

Here it is Tuesday already and yet no answer. Your silence is speaking volumes about you, and none of it good. I will be pinging you to this daily until you respond. If you choose not to reply, that will be noted as this will be bumped for all to see.


167 posted on 06/21/2005 4:10:27 PM PDT by dcwusmc ("The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself.)
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To: dcwusmc; Che Chihuahua

Wednesday and still the sound of your silence deafens us. So much for honest dialogue... or is the agency manager out of the office and you're not allowed to answer on your own any more???


168 posted on 06/22/2005 9:58:42 PM PDT by dcwusmc ("The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself.)
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To: dcwusmc; Che Chihuahua

Ping for another 24 hours and no reply.


169 posted on 06/23/2005 4:59:45 PM PDT by dcwusmc ("The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself.)
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To: Che Chihuahua

STILL no reply to # 156


170 posted on 06/24/2005 10:33:06 PM PDT by dcwusmc ("The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself.)
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To: dcwusmc; Che Chihuahua

Here we are again, another weekend come and yet no reply. I guess it's 'cause you HAVE no reply. You are pitiable. Your true colors have shown through.


171 posted on 06/25/2005 9:36:59 PM PDT by dcwusmc ("The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself.)
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To: dcwusmc; Che Chihuahua

Another Sunday gone and no response. Why is that? You KNOW you're just hurting your own cause by showing that you have NO rational answer to the question I posed.


172 posted on 06/26/2005 3:29:12 PM PDT by dcwusmc ("The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself.)
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To: Che Chihuahua

Friedman is a johnny-one-note bore.


173 posted on 06/26/2005 3:35:28 PM PDT by aculeus (Ceci n'est pas une tag line.)
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To: RKV

I thought after Jimmy Carter was given a Nobel Peace Prize we couldn't consider that award as a validation of anyones ability ?

Any other reason Milt may be right ?


174 posted on 06/26/2005 3:39:38 PM PDT by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet. ©)
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To: Squantos

A couple of things to note - science Nobel prizes don't have the same problem with political correctness that the literature and peace prizes do. Economics is only sort of a science (and I say that as some who has done graduate work in the field). It is certainly more scientific that social(ism)ology - i.e. accuracy of predictions do matter in the field. Also, given our historical experience of alcoholprohibition we ought to catch a clue. Namely, prohibition raises prices and profits for those willing to break the law, thus attracting organized crime. IMHO the cure is worse than the disease, and that is where Milton and I agree.


175 posted on 06/26/2005 6:14:30 PM PDT by RKV ( He who has the guns, makes the rules.)
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To: dcwusmc; Che Chihuahua; All

STILL no reply to my question. Why is that? Still no permission from your agency? Tell them to go pound sand, that you have a pair and you'll respond anyway. It makes you look foolish to keep silent in the face of irrefutable logic and facts, doesn't it?????


176 posted on 07/04/2005 2:04:30 PM PDT by dcwusmc ("The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself.)
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