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> I say make it legal, and tax it proportionate to the cost of running enough rehabilitation centers nationally that any American can get treatment if they so w
by ythl 10y ago
> I say make it legal, and tax it proportionate to the cost of running enough rehabilitation centers nationally that any American can get treatment if they so wish.
Seems like a pipe dream. Tax the drugs too much and you'll just create a black market and/or encourage addicts to commit crimes to obtain the drug. Tax it too little and it won't cover the costs of rehab.
- cmdrfred 10y agoI think a 15% tax on alcohol($90 billion/year), oxycontin($14 billion/year) and cigarettes($35 billion/year) alone would cover it.
- onetwotree 10y agoThere's no black market for cigarettes or alcohol though. Tax heroin at 50% and it'll still be cheaper than it is on the street. The fact that these goods are cheap to produce but highly inelastic means that the government can make a killing taxing them without introducing a black market.
- narrowrail 10y ago>There's no black market for cigarettes Are you sure about that? https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/06/25/why-the-massive-black-market-trade-in-cigarettes-affects-you-even-if-you-dont-smoke/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/06/25/why-t... "In New York, a Black Market For Illegal Cigarettes Thrives" http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1040938577857473793 http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1040938577857473793