Originally posted by PsychoPawn
Yes he would be and he could.
The problem is that he would have a political revolt on his hands. Not by regular people, but the people who actually matter.
Unless voters actually make it a primary reason to win their vote then the war on drugs will continue no matter how stupid it is.
The problem is that he would have a political revolt on his hands. Not by regular people, but the people who actually matter.
Just to grasp your reasoning here I offer your two separate posts above. There are voters, and there are "people who matter" who are not really the voters.
For example, could a political revolt by people who actually matter put a stop to the insane war on drugs? Alternatively, would voters make it a primary reason if people who actually matter framed the issue in terms that were acceptable to them instead of the apocalyptic nonsense currently uttered to secure their acceptance of a policy that not only fails to work but has disastrous consequences?
Just for a start, as the article I cited points out, it would not be tolerable or realistic to have unregulated drug sales because we already regulate most drugs for reasons of public health. Even paracetemol cannot be bought in packets above a certain size or by people under 18 in Britain for example. So any new policy would regulate the sale of any drug - but that is a lot different to making it illegal and criminal to possess and use the drug.
So we could frame a policy of drug regulation instead of a policy of drug criminalisation, while still criminalising illegal sales - so that people had a powerful incentive to accept the regulated sources.
It would also seem desirable to take a greater interest in designing recreational drugs in a way that is less harmful. There is already a legal industry in sales of alcohol and tobacco for heavens sake. I would strongly recommend that people avoid both types of drug, but I would not advocate putting them in prison indefinitely and ruining their life chances for failing to accept my advice.
The one drug I would like to make illegal is the introduction of sugar into so many types of food that it is profoundly harmful to the health of every one of us.