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The problem is that it is an on-balance thing. I don't see how we can make all drugs legal and just say "Hey, if you want to ruin your life with heroin then go

The problem is that it is an on-balance thing. I don't see how we can make all drugs legal and just say "Hey, if you want to ruin your life with heroin then go for it" because then we have people being violent, robbing, etc. That is, the cost of enforcing is worth it, in a big way. But with pot, the cost of enforcement is very high, particularly in people's lives disrupted, for a societal cost that is small. It seems to me, even as a non-user, that there are a great number of people who use at least occasionally, and attempting enforcement is sweeping back the tide. Basically, when everybody does it, then we have effectively decided that it is a societal norm.

deleted 10y ago
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vkou 10y ago
People are already ruining their lives with heroin. Part of the reason that this happens is because getting back on the straight and narrow is almost impossible when the police, the courts, the doctors (Under orders by the courts), and society is against you.
hx87 10y ago
> "Hey, if you want to ruin your life with heroin then go for it" The problem is with the "ruin your life" part, not the "heroin" part. If we really want government to get involved, they should get involved when people's lives are being ruined, not when someone is merely making, distributing, or using a substance.
NotSammyHagar 10y ago
People ruin their lives with drugs, already. But one reason they resort to crime is drugs are expensive (since we restrict them). Plus we fire people who use them on their own time, if they are the kind we can detect later. We don't differentiate between things that have worn off by work time usually. It's a different category to be drunk and driving, vs high last night but not now. White collar jobs like programmers are treated differently, no one cares if you get high, unless you work for the govt. Your work is what matters.

deleted 10y ago

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vkou 10y ago

People are already ruining their lives with heroin. Part of the reason that this happens is because getting back on the straight and narrow is almost impossible when the police, the courts, the doctors (Under orders by the courts), and society is against you.

hx87 10y ago

> "Hey, if you want to ruin your life with heroin then go for it" The problem is with the "ruin your life" part, not the "heroin" part. If we really want government to get involved, they should get involved when people's lives are being ruined, not when someone is merely making, distributing, or using a substance.

NotSammyHagar 10y ago

People ruin their lives with drugs, already. But one reason they resort to crime is drugs are expensive (since we restrict them). Plus we fire people who use them on their own time, if they are the kind we can detect later. We don't differentiate between things that have worn off by work time usually. It's a different category to be drunk and driving, vs high last night but not now. White collar jobs like programmers are treated differently, no one cares if you get high, unless you work for the govt. Your work is what matters.