[lbo-talk] Former UK Home and Defense Minister: All drugs should be legalized

[Wojtek S]

[WS:] Of course, similar sensible arguments on this side of the pond did not
get very far.  This raises the question who opposes legalization (other than
the dealers) and for what real reasons?  Many years ago I read a journal
article analyzing the history of substance prohibition in the US and arguing
that these efforts often targeted substances used by new immigrant
populations (opium - Chinese; alcohol - Eastern Europeans, cannabis -
Mexican) suggesting that this was a part of anti-immigrant campaigns.  But
that explanation raises several questions:
1. The Prohibition was abolished after a while, so why not delegalization of
other substances?
2. Why are substances used by the white native population (e.g. meth) also
illegal?
3. Why did other countries where there is no correlation between
immigrant/racial minority groups and substance use also ban these
substances?

Wojtek

On Wed, Jan 5, 2011 at 3:54 AM, Michael Pollak <mpollak at panix.com> wrote:


>
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> http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/all-drugs-should-be-legalised-to-beat-dealers-says-former-minister-2161635.html
>
> Michael
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>