Biden was in South Carolina to address the Rotary Club in Columbia, presumably doing some early campaigning for the 2008 democratic nominating primary.
According to the Associated Press, amongst other inflammatory things, he told the Rotarians that illegal drugs are “coming up through corrupt Mexico”and that “People are driving across that border with tons, tons — hear me — tons of everything from byproducts for methamphetamines, to cocaine, to heroine.”
If the USA did not present such a large market for now illegal drugs and if the USA prohibition of such didn’t enable a black market, drugs would not be entering the country from Mexico or elsewhere. If the now illegal drugs were legal and priced at their real price, relative to the cost of production, there would be no smuggling because it wouldn’t pay.
Folks in the USA are perfectly free to remain whacked out on legal drugs, so long as they pay the doctors and drug companies first; but are jailed for growing pot or poppies in their back yards.
5 Comments
November 29, 2006 at 9:38 am
Hi, cuz….
I don’t disagree, but really, since when are even legal products priced according to the relative cost of production….? Supply and demand drives the cost…and well, demand is driven by Madison Avenue’’s ability to manipulate the American consumer. So, where does that leave drugs? If they were legal and we all believed we needed them (sort of like alcohol and toothpaste) might the cost not continue to be high?
CB
November 29, 2006 at 10:33 am
Hi Carolyn,
How very nice to hear from you. And what a surprise.
I checked out your site and must say I’m impressed. I had no idea you were living in the East, but then again I’m pretty much out of touch.
As to your comment. I agree relative to cost of legal drugs, the abuse of which is more prevelant than that of illegal drugs. As you point out, the demand for which is driven largely by advertising. It is also driven by the drug manufacturers inventing new diseases and disorders to “treat” with their products.
If now illegal drugs were to become legal I don’t think usage would rise significantly. There was not a large increase in the consumption of alcohol after the repeal of the Volstead Act. And as I understand the numbers of people using heroin before enactment of the Harrison Act did not differ much from those using it after.
Despite the expenditure of trillions of dollars in the effort to stem the use of illegal drugs the percentage of the population using illegal drugs as remained fairly constant.
A market demand for a product will always be satisfied, whether the product be legal or otherwise.
Prohibited products enable a black market and the
crime associated with such. Businesspersons dealing in the black market, after all, are far less reluctant to eliminate the competition with extreme prejudice than are businesspersons operating legally.
Marijuana is easily grown and heroin is easily made from poppies that are also easily grown in most parts of the USA.
So, no I don’t think consumption would rise appreciably and I think the price would drop as folks grow their own.
I always wonder what is the difference, in terms of the governments interest, in a person whacked out on Valium or someone whacked out on pot. The only answer I can come up with is drug manufacturers’ profits. After all one can’t whip up a batch of Valium in the kitchen or grow Prozac in the back yard.
Take care and thanks for looking in and commenting.
November 29, 2006 at 10:34 am
Read your history about prohibition, the increase in use of alcohol after legalization was an increase of about 10% but steadily decreased to the number of boozers during prohibition.
Joe Biden is a wet your finger, or in his case his dick, and see which way the wind is blowing!
December 10, 2006 at 6:14 am
[...] Biden engaged in immigrant bashing hyperbole in addressing the Columbia, South Carolina Rotary Club and Romney, lame duck governor of Massachusetts, announced a new get tough on illegal immigrant policy after the Boston Globe reported that for a decade he has hired illegal immigrants to manicure the grounds of his home. [...]
December 22, 2006 at 12:19 am
[...] USA politicians complain about corruption in Mexico, such as Joe Biden recently telling the Columbia, South Carolina Rotary Club that illegal drugs are “coming up through corrupt Mexico” . [...]