Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Milton Friedman: Legalize It! (The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition)
Forbes.Com ^ | June 2, 2005

Posted on 06/02/2005 4:40:30 AM PDT by Wolfie

Milton Friedman: Legalize It!

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.

"There is no logical basis for the prohibition of marijuana," the economist says, "$7.7 billion is a lot of money, but that is one of the lesser evils. Our failure to successfully enforce these laws is responsible for the deaths of thousands of people in Colombia. I haven't even included the harm to young people. It's absolutely disgraceful to think of picking up a 22-year-old for smoking pot. More disgraceful is the denial of marijuana for medical purposes."

Securing the signatures of Friedman, along with economists from Cornell, Stanford and Yale universities, among others, is a coup for the MPP, a group largely interested in widening and publicizing debate over the usefulness of laws against pot.

If the laws change, large beneficiaries might include large agricultural groups like Archer Daniels Midland and ConAgra Foods as potential growers or distributors and liquor businesses like Constellation Brands and Allied Domecq, which understand the distribution of intoxicants. Surprisingly, Home Depot and other home gardening centers would not particularly benefit, according to the report, which projects that few people would grow their own marijuana, the same way few people distill whiskey at home. Canada's large-scale domestic marijuana growing industry ( see "Inside Dope" ) suggests otherwise, however.

The report will likely not sway all minds. The White House Office of Drug Control Policy recently published an analysis of marijuana incarceration that states that "most people in prison for marijuana are violent criminals, repeat offenders, traffickers or all of the above." The office declined to comment on the marijuana economics study, however, without first analyzing the study's methodology.

Friedman's advocacy on the issue is limited--the nonagenarian prefers to write these days on the need for school choice, calling U.S. literacy levels "absolutely criminal...only sustained because of the power of the teachers' unions." Yet his thinking on legalizing drugs extends well past any MPP debate or the kind of liberalization favored by most advocates.

"I've long been in favor of legalizing all drugs," he says, but not because of the standard libertarian arguments for unrestricted personal freedom. "Look at the factual consequences: The harm done and the corruption created by these laws...the costs are one of the lesser evils."

Not that a man of his years expects reason to triumph. Any added revenues from taxing legal marijuana would almost certainly be more than spent, by this or any other Congress.

"Deficits are the only thing that keeps this Congress from spending more" says Friedman. "Republicans are no different from Democrats. Spending is the easiest way to buy votes." A sober assessment indeed.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: bongbrigade; cary; donutwatch; miltonfriedman; wodlist
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 321-340341-360361-380 ... 481-486 next last
To: tacticalogic
Check my post at 340 .

And please quit misconstruing George Washington. His first law enforcement mission as President was to put down the whiskey rebellion.

The man was a federalist!

341 posted on 06/05/2005 7:44:26 AM PDT by muawiyah (q)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 338 | View Replies]

To: muawiyah
Check my post at 340 .

Okay, I did. The end still doesn't justify the means. The Constitution has to justify the means. You can have a strict constructionist view that limits the federal government's authority to what has been properly granted by the People, or you can have a "living document" that let's them do whatevery the politicians can convince us sounds good today. Why do you choose the latter?

And please quit misconstruing George Washington. His first law enforcement mission as President was to put down the whiskey rebellion.

He exercised federal police authority to enforce a federal tax code. What is it about that action that has any relevance to, or changes the meaning of the remarks from his Farewell Address? Who's trying to "misconstrue" GW here?

The man was a federalist!

Indeed.

342 posted on 06/05/2005 8:09:49 AM PDT by tacticalogic ("Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 341 | View Replies]

To: Proud_texan
Legalize drugs and make (a subjective) disturbing the peace a jail-able offense?

It's not subjective. A complaint is involved. A jury decides the issue. The peace officer takes action to prevent you from taking matters into your own hands and waging war against the violater. Peace officers were our lawmen until alcohol prohibition when we began legislating morality and morality laws needed to be "enforced"

Wouldn't that give even a lot more power to peace officers, even more than they have now? Not sure that's a wise trade off

The law enforcement officers of today have police state powers not even dreamed of by peace officers!
Peace officers kept the peace and concentrated on real crime. They were respected and assisted by the citizenry at large. That's a far cry from the disrespect for law and the fear of the police we have today.

I don't have an answer, perhaps I am leery because of those that say we can't win the WoT and shouldn't do anything and simply project that on the WoD.

You've got it backwards, Tex. Freedom supporters were speaking out against the drug war long before there was a war on terror!

By the way I did Google studies on drug use in Holland and it seemed I could find studies where it had increased and where it had decreased. However those studies that were subject to peer review said...no change.

The numbers speak for themselves. Studies, for either side, are not real world examples. We have over twenty years of the Dutch real world proof with verifiable numbers to back up the fact that drug wars don't work. Feel free to post any study or "peer review" you find and we can dissect them one by one. The results just may surprise you. They will also open your eyes.

for whatever reason I'm reluctant to roll the dice

I can understand that, but just keep in mind...Reluctant Germans in the thirties allowed Hitler to rise to power and lead them into hell!
...
343 posted on 06/05/2005 10:46:19 AM PDT by mugs99
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 334 | View Replies]

To: tacticalogic
When the government's gone and civilization has fallen, and the people are thrown back on their own devices, a new, but more rigorous constitution will be adopted out of necessity, and the dopers will be the first to be eliminated, not the last.

And yes, George Washington preferred to enforce the law than to let brigands and thugs run loose.

344 posted on 06/05/2005 10:53:02 AM PDT by muawiyah (q)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 342 | View Replies]

To: muawiyah
When the government's gone and civilization has fallen, and the people are thrown back on their own devices, a new, but more rigorous constitution will be adopted out of necessity, and the dopers will be the first to be eliminated, not the last.

Is that why you're willing to tear down the one we have, so you can have your new, improved Constitution?

And yes, George Washington preferred to enforce the law than to let brigands and thugs run loose.

Not what I asked. Why dodge the question? Step up and take an honest shot - it won't kill you. Or do you only have all the answers as long as you get to control the questions?

345 posted on 06/05/2005 11:39:50 AM PDT by tacticalogic ("Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 344 | View Replies]

To: mugs99
You may wish to consult this perspective by the "Drug policy advisor, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports of The Netherlands":

http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/Com-e/ille-e/Presentation-e/keizer-e.htm

Note that 17% of the prison population is there because of drug related crimes. Also note that "Possession of up to 30 grams of cannabis is a minor offence. Possession of more than 30 grams is a criminal offence."

There are no federal sentencing guidelines that would kick in for those amounts (220 pounds as I recall). There may be state laws that do but I'm sure you're not suggesting that states don't have the right to enact drug laws. Here in Austin less than an ounce gets you a ticket.

The good minister goes on to say "Many people think that drugs are legally available in the Netherlands, and that we make no effort to combat the supply side of the drug market. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is continual, intensive co-operation between the addict care system, the judicial authorities and the public administrators. With the exception of small-scale cannabis dealing in coffeeshops, tackling all other forms of drug dealing and production has high priority. The police and customs officials regularly seize large hauls of drugs and collaborate closely with other countries in the fight against organised crime. Last year, about 40,000 kg of cannabis and about 660,000 marihuana plants have been seized; 1372 nursery gardens have been dismantled; 5,5 million tablets of XTC have been seized."

Wow, 17% of their imprisioned are because of drugs and it sounds like they must have a pretty big WoD program to haul in that much dope since Holland is _tiny_.

They also have an addict care system, free methodone, free needles, homosexual marriage and the age of consent is 13.

Sounds like they've pretty much figured it out and must like it. To me it sounds like hell.

I don't know where you get your information on pre-prohibition peace officers, I don't have any first hand experience that goes that far back, but certianly the post-prohibition cops I knew in the 40's and 50's were, for the most part brutal, often corrupt with very little accountability. While we still have our bad apples, and always will, I'd dare say that cops these days are a much better lot than the general population.

346 posted on 06/05/2005 1:20:37 PM PDT by Proud_texan (We have met the enemy and he is us.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 343 | View Replies]

To: Proud_texan
Sounds like they've pretty much figured it out and must like it. To me it sounds like hell.

"The number of addicts in the Netherlands has been stable - at 25,000 - for many years." [That's about 0.17% of the population, figures from 1999]

--http://www.minjust.nl:8080/a_beleid/fact/cfact7.htm.

"There were an estimated 980,000 hardcore heroin addicts in the United States in 1999, 50 percent more than the estimated 630,000 hardcore addicts in 1992." [980,000 is about 0.33% of the population]

--www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs07/794/heroin.htm

For those in Rio Linda, it works out to double the rate of heroin addiction in the US v Holland.

From nationmaster.com: The murder rate for the US is 4X that of Holland, the rate of rape is 3X as high, and the adult prevalence for aids is 3X as high.

The rate of abortion in the US is also 3X what it is in the Netherlands:

In 2002, the general abortion rate (number of abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years) for New Zealand was 20.0 per 1,000. The Netherlands (7.4)... United States (22.2) -- http://www2.stats.govt.nz/domino/external/pasfull/pasfull.nsf/0/4c2567ef00247c6acc256d4900159b9f?OpenDocument

347 posted on 06/05/2005 2:38:19 PM PDT by Ken H
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 346 | View Replies]

To: Proud_texan
Last year, about 40,000 kg of cannabis and about 660,000 marihuana plants have been seized;

Wow, 17% of their imprisioned are because of drugs and it sounds like they must have a pretty big WoD program to haul in that much dope since Holland is _tiny_.

I don't know the figures, but I will pledge a $100 donation to Free Republic if you can produce government reported figures for the US which are lower for either of the above stats cited in your post (adjusting for population on the amount of mj seized). They should be readily available on the world wide web.

348 posted on 06/05/2005 3:01:49 PM PDT by Ken H
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 346 | View Replies]

To: Ken H
The point is drugs, not even smoking dope, are legal in Holland as has been continually stated in this thread. If you have more than 20 grams you're breaking the law.

It sounds to me like Holland is pretty much like areas of Calfornia with their "buying clubs" and medical mj. I doubt if you can get arrested in N. California with anything less than a pound.

That's really solved the dope problem in N. Ca. That's another reason why I left there; dope, dope and dopes.

But if that's your "lifestyle" there are certainly places here in the US where it's accepted, San Francisco being the first and foremost of those that I know of.

349 posted on 06/05/2005 3:27:29 PM PDT by Proud_texan (We have met the enemy and he is us.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 348 | View Replies]

To: tacticalogic
Speaking of being evasive, it's the druggies and their running dog lackeys that have been demonstrated time and again to be the forces arrayed against government and civilization itself.

It's only when you gain the upper hand that civilization falls. Then it's up to the rest of us to bring things back into line, and the tried and true way of doing that has been to first eliminate the druggies.

350 posted on 06/05/2005 4:39:57 PM PDT by muawiyah (q)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 345 | View Replies]

To: Ken H
BTW, Ken, when you break down American statistics on crime and other social pathologies by race you find that the European-American population pretty well reflects the Northwestern European population, and the African-American population has a better record than their counterparts in Africa or South America.

Asian-Americans tend to be a bunch of goody two shoe types who spend their time studying and working hard and contribute only a negligible number to the criminal class in America.

This will change in the future, of course!

So, tell me why African-American communities are so much worse than Nederlandish people when it comes to crime?

351 posted on 06/05/2005 4:44:18 PM PDT by muawiyah (q)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 347 | View Replies]

To: Ken H

Could it have something to do with the use of certain types of narcotics in vast quantities?


352 posted on 06/05/2005 4:46:16 PM PDT by muawiyah (q)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 347 | View Replies]

To: All

I'm going to irritate all the New Mexicans out there and remember Gary Johnson. He was the Republican governor who wanted to legalize ALL drugs, carte blanche. I wonder if Gov. Richardson really feels differently.

If we ended the "War on Drugs" and put that money into securing the borders we'd have this demon beat. But no, we have to be "sensitive" and let the drug lords run the Southwest.


353 posted on 06/05/2005 4:50:07 PM PDT by NHAntiMassRedRebel (Our only fault is that we're 40 minutes north of Boston.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: muawiyah
Speaking of being evasive,

Why not. Anything but straight answers, eh? We'll be off in bunny and pancake land pretty soon, and you can slink away unnoticed.

354 posted on 06/05/2005 5:49:04 PM PDT by tacticalogic ("Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 350 | View Replies]

To: tacticalogic

My answers are all pretty much to the point. Remember, when it comes to the debate about drugs it's the druggies who have a hard time understanding the answers.


355 posted on 06/05/2005 5:53:31 PM PDT by muawiyah (q)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 354 | View Replies]

To: muawiyah
So, tell me why African-American communities are so much worse than Nederlandish people when it comes to crime?

Out of wedlock births, single parent families, and government dependence are among the main reasons, IMO.

LBJ stretched the general Welfare Clause out of all recognition as President, having done the same with the Commerce Clause as one of FDR's favorite New Deal Democrats in Congress.

"The Congress is charged by the Constitution to "provide . . . for the general welfare of the United States." Our present abundance is a measure of its success in fulfilling that duty. Now Congress is being asked to extend that welfare to all our people."

--LBJ War on Poverty speech, March 16, 1964

356 posted on 06/05/2005 5:56:33 PM PDT by Ken H
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 351 | View Replies]

To: Ken H
Hmmmm ~ sex is the downfall of the blackman every single time ~ dope has no influence whatsoever, and if it's not sex it's the evil government.

Get a clue, it's the prominant place urban African-Americans have given to narcotics in their lives.

357 posted on 06/05/2005 5:59:16 PM PDT by muawiyah (q)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 356 | View Replies]

To: muawiyah
Hmmmm ~ sex is the downfall of the blackman every single time ~ dope has no influence whatsoever, and if it's not sex it's the evil government.

So you think the War on Poverty was a sound policy?

Get a clue, it's the prominant place urban African-Americans have given to narcotics in their lives.

The WOD was supposed to stop that, wasn't it? See any parallels?

358 posted on 06/05/2005 6:14:17 PM PDT by Ken H
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 357 | View Replies]

To: Ken H

Yeah, the sociopathologies of the urban African-American population have begun to improve. Used to be no one cared if they used and/or died from narcotics use. Now we do.


359 posted on 06/05/2005 6:23:08 PM PDT by muawiyah (q)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 358 | View Replies]

To: muawiyah

Caring is good.


360 posted on 06/05/2005 6:43:00 PM PDT by Ken H
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 359 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 321-340341-360361-380 ... 481-486 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson