Yes, that's what libertarian paternalism (see: Nudge by Thaler and Sunstein) is meant to do. Legal and abundant alcohol imposes high negative externalities on t

Yes, that's what libertarian paternalism (see: Nudge by Thaler and Sunstein) is meant to do. Legal and abundant alcohol imposes high negative externalities on the rest of the population. Sin taxes reduce consumption because economic incentives usually work. It's when things are outright illegal (see: prohibition, narcotics) or the cost of ignoring the law is de facto lower than the legal price that things become quite dangerous for consumers, like the sale of narcotics laced with cheaper, more potent compounds like fentanyl. For better and worse, a regulated market that pushes prices upward is usually better than an unregulated market or a criminalized one.