Didn’t alchohol consumption spike during prohibition, or is that a myth? Seems to me that for those who do risk punishment to shoot, smoke, or pop ilicit substances, they may take more than they otherwise would for it to be worth it. Certainly the Drug War prevents the free market from providing milder doses of the big, bad substances. I imagine that were concaine legal they’d probably have sold a wine cooler version of it by now.
“wine cooler version”
Wasn’t that what the original Coca Cola was?
From The American Economic Review, Vol. 81, No. 2,
“We find that alcohol consumption fell sharply at the beginning of Prohibition, to approximately 30 percent of its pre-Prohibition level. During the next several years, however, alcohol consumption increased sharply, to about 60-70 percent of its pre-Prohibition level.”
http://www.tomfeiling.com/archive/AlcoholConsumptionDuringProhibition.pdf
More than that, it incentivizes the production and use of stronger forms - such as the crack form of cocaine, and heroin strong enough for a high via snorting. (And the rise in popularity of hard liquor during Prohibition.)