Re:Colombia is considering legalizing its cocaine industry
by iguy on Thursday December 03, 2020 @01:54PM
(#25292885)
This seems a little like arguing that I know several people who died in car accidents, and none in spaceships. One of these is much more dangerous, but almost everyone I know drives places, and has a drink or two, every week.
Maybe that's too strong, I'm not really sure how much more dangerous cocaine is. But even if it were somehow comparable, maybe we should be scared by what the arrival of alcohol did to peoples who hadn't had much of it -- this was true of many native american groups, IIRC. And many others worldwide.
Of course, now it seems I'm arguing for prohibition after all, maybe that's because alcohol is legal, is that why more people get into trouble with it?
My sense is that criminalization doesn't have much role in it though. I think cultural factors, as you mention, are more powerful.
And the number of people whose lives are wrecked by the criminal justice system because of drug prohibition is really significant.