Legalization Will Not Solve Alcohol Problem

[MSimon]

It also will not solve the drug problem. And for once the government agrees with me.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/marijuana/201 ... g-problem/

I might add that legalization is not solving the overeating problem. But then again the "fat police" are not making out like bandits policing our eating habits. Yet. But the Republican Mayor of New York is working on it.

So what problem will legalization solve? The black market/criminal cartel problem. The same problem the legalization of alcohol solved in 1933.

[Betruger]

It sounds kind of dubious that cartels would croak because a single drug like MJ were legalized.

[MSimon]

It sounds kind of dubious that cartels would croak because a single drug like MJ were legalized.

Legalizing alcohol did not destroy the crime syndicates either. But it did hurt them. They had to fall back on other government supported endeavors. Like cocaine and heroin. And now a days "green energy".

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/01/23/s ... en-energy/

Organized crime is in fact a government function.

[palladin9479]

It sounds kind of dubious that cartels would croak because a single drug like MJ were legalized.

Organized crime will always exist, you control it by removing it's revenue sources. They function like any other business, taking on risk to sell a product for more then it costs them to produce it. The current prohibition on cannabis only services to artificially inflate prices by introduce artificial risk. Remove the artificial risk and normal market functions take over, legitimate business's will start to produce / market cannabis which will serve to undercut the cartel's profits. They have to compete with regular business's and history has shown us that they tend to lose due to their business model relying on violence and a restricted market to be profitable. Once you've undercut their profit markets their forced to make a choice, either go legitimate or find another market to exploit. The gaming industry in Las Vegas is a good example of organized crime turning into a legitimate legal business (the Italian mafia focused on gambling and prostitution after prohibition of alcohol ended and eroded their primary product).