The numbers are in…

… and the news isn’t good

Few things make less financial sense for a business than investing in ideas that don’t work. If finances are being used in a way that doesn’t make money directly, then it is almost always the case that there is a moral reason for such discretionary spending – which, in turn, can help a company make returns from customer loyalty.

The same can be said for families, organizations, and especially governments. This last item is the focus of our article today, as it is the one that affects us all to the largest degree. The government has, according to conservative estimates, already spent over one trillion dollars fighting its self-styled war on drugs. If there were some particularly moral reason for such a visceral stand against drugs, it would be defensible. However, given that alcohol is legal, nicotine is legal, and sugar* is legal, there is no morally sound argument for the continued discrimination against drugs and drug users.

So, just how much money are we talking about, here? Unfortunately, it’s not possible to know how much the actual cost of drug prohibition is. This is because we can’t predict the loss of an economy that hasn’t been allowed to exist in an unfettered environment. Think of all the innovative ideas that have come from the legal booze industry. Now multiply that by five. Why five? Because that’s the number of other drug classes that exist. So far, we have spent at least $1,000,000,000,000.00 – that’s one trillion dollars – on trying to stop drugs from being used.

It’s difficult to put numbers like these into a perspective that makes sense. Suffice to say, it’s a lot. This money could be used to fund veteran’s programs, highway repairs, fund new business startups, and other ventures. Anything would be better than continuing to do what we’ve been doing. It isn’t working. Drugs are more available and more potent today than they were over 100 years ago when they were first prohibited.

Let’s try something else. Let’s start by admitting that if our goal was little to no drug use, we have failed. Once we move past that, we can talk about how to mitigate damage. We propose that all of the natural and semisynthetic substances (if they can be grown and produced in your backyard), should be legal for adult consumption. This includes heroin, cocaine, peyote, mescaline, nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana. All of these are naturally occurring – or readily produced from naturally occurring – substances. If it grows, it’s God-given.

What is there to lose at this point? The country is already being flooded with illicit fentanyl smuggled by China through Mexico. We are already living with the worst of the drugs. Legalizing them can, therefore, only reduce casualties and subsequently produce wealth. The government has lost the Drug War.

It’s high time for change ™

*Diabetes is a killer in the United States. Like addiction, it is caused by overindulgence in a pleasurable substance (sugar), and like addiction, is deadly if left untreated. Sugar is still legal. Drugs are not.