Re:Colombia is considering legalizing its cocaine industry
by chiefalchemist on Thursday December 03, 2020 @08:44PM
(#25298001)
I should start by saying, I'm not a drug user (sans alcohol) and I don't have a dog in this race either way. To me, it's simply an interesting topic to discuss.
I'm not so sure Amsterdam is an accurate reference point.
1) Size. Was Amsterdam spending $1B fighting drugs?
2) We're not talking about cocaine being legalized, we're talking about the gov getting in the coke biz. The latter is a significant change in paradigm.
3) What are the unintended consequences? When that $1B spent on "fighting it" stops, what happens? Jobs lost? Etc.?
Note: I'm not suggesting it's a bad idea per se, only that it's more complicated than "X works in Country Y."
I'm not so sure Amsterdam is an accurate reference point.
1) Size. Was Amsterdam spending $1B fighting drugs?
2) We're not talking about cocaine being legalized, we're talking about the gov getting in the coke biz. The latter is a significant change in paradigm.
3) What are the unintended consequences? When that $1B spent on "fighting it" stops, what happens? Jobs lost? Etc.?
Note: I'm not suggesting it's a bad idea per se, only that it's more complicated than "X works in Country Y."