[MadIvan]

Entelechy:

You really don't want to deal with history do you - when all drugs were legal, and you could get heroin and morphine through mail order, it created a public health problem. The figures I cite about addicts prove this.

Second, you really don't want to deal with simple economics either. When the price of a thing falls, greater consumption becomes possible. While there is a certain natural limit to consumption of heroin, those who would consume it could take more, and those who wanted to experiment with it would find it more available.

It is not a socialistic premise to suggest that addicts are going to leave a mess. Even the most wild eyed libertarian believes there has to be a police force to maintain law and order. It is also not a socialistic premise to suggest that it will create a public health problem. Even in the libertarian state, charity hospitals would be overburdened with the addicts, victims of their own stupidity.

Edmund Burke stated also, "In order to love one's country, one's country ought to be lovely." It is hard to see how any country could be lovely in the hedonistic vision of the libertarians present. A vision, I might add, that has sole concern with the rights of the addict to blow their brains out, and absolute ZERO concern for those who will, in one way or another, be forced to deal with the mess that is left behind.

Ivan

[Entelechy]

You really don't want to deal with history do you - when all drugs were legal, and you could get heroin and morphine through mail order, it created a public health problem. The figures I cite about addicts prove this.

I have never seen any statistics that show a higher rate of heroin addicition in the early 20th century than today.

Second, you really don't want to deal with simple economics either. When the price of a thing falls, greater consumption becomes possible.

Assuming demand isn't inelastic. Drug demand is highly inelastic. Thus a drop in drug prices will only shift income from expenditure on drugs to other expenses. This will mean that poorer addicts can still feed their families. Very few kids go hungry because of a father's booze habit.

[gargoyle]

...Paragraph One and two; If you will show statistics, or a link, to them? In your third paragraph, "victims of their own stupidity". Does that depend on the meaning of what own, owns? THIS PROBLEM ALREADY EXISTS! I understand you think it could be worse, because of historical data. I'll give you that for lack of statistics, for now. The police are hired to enforce the law, not to maintain law and order. It's called Law Enforcement. Only in specific instances are the police called to maintain the law and order when civil disobedience may occur. Individuals that are vigilant, call the police if they believe the law is being broken. Once again, if the police show up in time, they can maintain law and order.