George Will: Drug Prohibition Is an Awful Flop. We Like It.

[MindMover]

In a new column, George Will concedes that seeking altered states of consciousness is "natural," that the distinctions drawn by our drugs laws are not based on the relative hazards posed by these substances, that efforts to suppress the supply of drugs are futile, and that prohibition causes "rampant criminality," "disrespect for law," and "mayhem in Mexico," among other bad consequences. But he worries that legalization would lead to a big increase in drug addiction and the problems associated with it:

Suppose cocaine or heroin were legalized and marketed as cigarettes and alcohol are. And suppose the level of addiction were to replicate the 7 percent of adults suffering from alcohol abuse or dependency. That would be a public health disaster. As the late James Q. Wilson said, nicotine shortens life, cocaine debases it....

Legalization would mean drugs of reliable quality would be conveniently available from clean stores for customers not risking the stigma of breaking the law in furtive transactions with unsavory people. So there is no reason to think today’s levels of addiction are anywhere near the levels that would be reached under legalization.

Since Will begins the column by implicitly conceding that alcohol is morally indistinguishable from illegal drugs, it is disappointing that he leans on Wilson's comment about nicotine vs. cocaine, which is frequently cited by prohibitionists even though it is essentially meaningless. Sometimes cocaine debases life; more often (judgng from, among other things, the government's own survey data), cocaine enhances life, in the sense that it provides pleasure without causing serious problems. It is telling that Wilson picked nicotine for his comparison, since he never could have gotten away with a similarly glib claim about alcohol. Does alcohol debase life? Again, sometimes yes, but typically no. This observation tells us nothing about the proper legal status of either drug.

Contrary to Will's assertion, there are several reasons to believe that the sum total of drug addiction problems would not be much bigger, and might be smaller, if prohibition were repealed:

http://reason.com/blog/2012/04/05/george-will-drug-prohibition-is-an-awful?

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Actually used to respect George's opinion.....

[MADem]

1. George Will is a cheesy little wingnut fuck.

Untrustworthy, slimy, disgusting.

I believe he may not have "stolen" the briefing book belonging to Jimmy Carter, but he knew he was prepping Ronnie Raygun with stolen materials. Typical "Anything To Win" Republican.

1980 Ronald Reagan presidential campaign
Main article: Debategate
Will's detractors complain about instances when Will has blurred the line between independent journalist and political advocate. Will helped Ronald Reagan prepare for his 1980 debate against Jimmy Carter. Immediately after the debate, Will—not yet a member of the ABC News staff—appeared on ABC's Nightline. He was introduced by host Ted Koppel, who said "It's my understanding that you met for some time yesterday with Governor Reagan," and that Will "never made any secret of his affection" for the Republican candidate. Will did not explicitly disclose that he had assisted Reagan's debate preparation, or been present during it. He went on to praise Reagan, saying his "game plan worked well. I don't think he was very surprised."[22]

In 2004 and again in 2005, Carter accused Will of giving the Reagan campaign a top-secret briefing book stolen from Carter's office before the 1980 debate.[23] In a 2005 syndicated column, Will called his role in Reagan's debate preparation "inappropriate" but denied any role in stealing the briefing book. [24] In response to Will's column, Carter wrote a letter to the Washington Post retracting his accusations. Carter apologized to Will for "any incorrect statement that I have ever made about his role in the use of my briefing book.... I have never thought Mr. Will took my book, that the outcome of the debate was damaging to my campaign or that Mr. Will apologized to me."[25]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Will#1980_Ronald_Reagan_presidential_campaign
Not a journalist--more like a tool.

[MindMover]

3. Sounds and looks like the consummate intellectual......

but really is.....an

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/41483660@N04/6551305609/][img][/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/41483660@N04/6551305609/]asshole[/url]

[MADem]

4. That one looks sweeter than GW!

[saras]

6. It's missing the goatse hands - maybe I can fix that...

...later

[obxhead]

2. Someone, somewhere might be having more fun than you.

It must be stopped!

[ThomThom]

5. he worries that legalization would lead to a big increase in drug addiction"

"he worries that legalization would lead to a big increase in drug addiction and the problems associated with it:"
statistics say otherwise in places where legalization has taken place
this and children using seem to be the only reason to not legalize even though they are bullsh-t.

[321Morrow]

7. We should legalize drugs.

It's called "freedom."

Thank-you. Start with marijuana ASAP.