> I've often thought that substance access needs to be completely deregulated, for drugs of abuse as well as other medications.*. Now paracetamol (depon) in Gr

> I've often thought that substance access needs to be completely deregulated, for drugs of abuse as well as other medications.*. Now paracetamol (depon) in Greece costs 0.75 EUR. In Greece the market is regulated. In the UK where the market is not regulated and you have pharmacies selling burgers to survive while the same drug costs more than 5 EUR. How is that possible? :-) The monopoly you speak of in distribution (pharmacies) happens when you deregulate the market because few big players end up owning what was distributed among thousands. I agree that more steps need to be taken, but I don't think deregulation has ever worked the way you'd think it did, for the health industry. Ultimately many decisions stem from your personal belief on the topic: - Do you think that drugs ought to be social goods and regulated? (social welfare) - Do you think that drugs ought to be public goods and not regulated? (private welfare) Also note that drug research costs, a lot. Especially if done correctly. It is a fair for some firms to retain the patent for a few years (say 5?).