A Vox writer comes to the dawning realization that the US government isn't capable of handling the legalization of drugs. It's a pretty good piece -- I don't raise it to mock it, but to praise the willingness to rethink a long-held position based on evidence you would likely prefer to ignore.
The basic idea is that he has come to realize that, while legalization might work elsewhere, America's particular government is incapable of regulating drugs effectively. Legalization will thus predictably bring a vast increase in drug use and the trauma associated with it. It is not that it is impossible to legalize drugs and regulate them wisely; other countries may be able to do it. Our system, however, is incapable of it.
I sometimes use a similar argument against single-payer in America. It may be that other governments can do that well, but if we had single-payer, you already know what it would look like. It would look like the VA.
5 comments:
We have all been at this spot before,,,,, but it was not us wo suffered back then...... this time we are the target.
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/the-opium-wars-the-bloody-conflicts-destroyed-imperial-china-17212
- Mississippi
It does seem as if an Opium War is being waged against us. Too bad it's our own government, in league with these drug companies, that is the one waging it.
Meh. Before drug prohibition, the federal government did not "regulate drugs wisely", or indeed at all, and the Republic not only survived, it avoided the great harms associated with "regulating drugs wisely". Remember, drug prohibition is a novelty, not something we've had with us for all time.
"It would look like the VA."
Heh
The VA would be a shining example for which to strive should the entire country become single-payer. Think TRICARE with Pakistani tech support.
Oh wait......we may already be *there*.
O>;~}
The Scandinavians are discovering what their excellent, well-managed safety net plans turn into when non-Scandinavians, even a relatively small percentage of the population, start using them. It's turning ugly fast.
Younger generations of Scandinavians are also learning not to work as hard and to call in sick more often, but that would have been slow and fairly manageable on its own. Madison was correct in noting that good government depends on good citizens. Americans game the system much more than Scandinavians do, and it changes everything.
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