Originally posted by sigma:
Quote:

The only way we can put a dent in these drugs is to de-criminalize them. The price of drugs will go down and drug dealers profits will also, causing drug dealers to stop selling drugs. Locking every drug dealer up isn't going to solve the problem.



This explanation has never made much sense to me and is contrary to the basic laws of economics.

Demand for narcotics is highly inelastic. People who want drugs will buy them. If you jack up the price too high, they'll find some way to get the money. But setting the price lower doesn't significantly effect demand, because the people who want them are already buying them no matter the cost. There's not a lot of current non-drug users sitting around thinking "I'd love some crack, but just can't afford that habit".

Dropping the price of narcotics does make distribution cheaper. But what incentive do the dealers have to lower prices? People are buying at the price they're charging now, and there's no reason to believe it would significantly change demand if they lowered their prices. They can keep their prices the same they are today, sell just as much, and make an even greater profit margin.

Even if one could argue that it would significantly change demand by expanding drug use amongst more of the populace that is reason enough not to legalize it. And, if by some reason, it did happen and drug dealers stopped selling drugs because the profit wasn't there as claimed, the limited number of dealers left would charge higher prices because there's a limited source for the product.





You don't understand because you are thinking of it in the wrong way.

Look at the money burned up since the US "war on drugs". Nothing has come from it. Drug prices sky rocket because of it, because it is really hard to get a load through to the US main land. The drug lords loose more drugs than they actually get into the US, so what does land here has a jacked up price to cover their losses.

The MAJORITY of the 2.22 million inmates in the US are incarcerated because of the insane US Drug War! The US has less than 5% of the world's population and 25% of the world's 9 million prisoners. The US surpassed Russia again in the year 2000, and so the US again has the world's highest incarceration rate! It is now 5 to 20 times higher than all other Western (long democratic traditions) nations! The US incarceration rate is over 5 times higher than it was in 1971 when President Nixon declared a "War on Drugs." At yearend 2003 there were 6.9 million adults, or 1 in 32 adults in the US, or 3.2% of adults, under correctional supervision (in jail, in prison, on probation, or on parole). Bureau of Justice Statistics- Texas led the Nation at yearend 2003 with 4,609 adults under correctional supervision per 100,000 adult State residents, followed by Washington State (4,350), and Delaware (4,235).... That's 4.6% of Texas adults imprisoned, on probation, or on parole!

There are many ideas out there reguarding legalization or decriminalization. The main idea though is to treat the addicts and small time dealers rather than spend way more to imprison them. Prison is a sh*%&% place and changes people, mostly for the worse. Now instead of a drug dealer, you'll have a violent criminal when they get out.

Personally, I don't think outright legalization is the key.

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