Milton Friedman: interviewed on America's Drug Forum

[ThsMchneKilsFascists]

Run time: 03:56 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se_TJzB9-z0   Posted on YouTube: April 17, 2015 By YouTube Member: YouTube Help Views on YouTube: 9605865   Posted on DU: December 14, 2006 By DU Member: ThsMchneKilsFascists Views on DU: 616

 
So here's the late Milton Friedman, world renowned economist, back in the early nineties talking about one of the few (only?) things I've agreed with him about, legal reforms in the area of drug policy and enforcement.

[ixion]

1. it's a common fallacy that Marijuana users will

go in search of things like crack, cocaine and heroin. If you know anything about the objective effects of these drugs, you know that these are not even in the same class of drug type. Pot smokers don't say: "gee, there's no smoke around, so I'll go get some crack."

That has to be one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever heard.

Pot smokers smoke pot. (duh)


Marijuana is a non-lethal, non-addictive, naturally occurring plant. It is impossible to overdose, that is, to reach a toxic level in the bloodstream. And yet millions of otherwise hard-working, tax-paying citizens have had their lives ruined because of the so-called 'War on Drugs' and for lumping marijuana in with other substances, substances that are highly-addictive, like caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, cocaine and heroin. Note that 3 out of 5 of those are legal (controlled), albeit being toxic and addictive.

So the argument about it being illegal because it's like 'harder drugs' is just plain silly.

The bottom line is that non-violent, otherwise 'good citizen' pot smokers should not have to live like criminals. Legalizing and regulating (and taxing) marijuana would be a good first step to healing our society, IMO.