I don't find that ironic, because a) We don't know this economists ideas about drug prohibition and the fact that he is American is quite irrelevant. Whoever a

I don't find that ironic, because a) We don't know this economists ideas about drug prohibition and the fact that he is American is quite irrelevant. Whoever asserts something, you can always find something to deem it 'ironic' or even 'hypocritical'. In the vast majority of cases, that does not detract in any way from their argument. That would require counterarguments. b) Different times, different customs. It's anachronistic to use todays moral standards to argue that behavior back then was considered immoral back then.