Better dead than high

All evidence points to the fact that everyone would be better off if drugs were legalized. So what makes the war on drugs go on? In this excellent article, Radley Balko glimpses into the mind of a drug warrior.

We’re told that certain drugs have to be prohibited because they’re too dangerous. But we should also resist efforts to make them less dangerous because doing so might encourage drug use.

It’s a bizarre argument until you consider the real motivation behind it: In truth, it’s not so much about the harm some drugs do; it’s about an absolute moral opposition to the use of some drugs.

Even if they were completely harmless, some people simply don’t like the idea that we can ingest chemicals that make us feel good.

And of course, this moral opposition translates into coercive laws. It always does.