Pubdate: Sat, 19 Apr 2014
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Copyright: 2014 Blake Fowler
Contact: http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/send-a-letter/
Website: http://www.dallasnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117
Author: Blake Fowler

END PROHIBITION

Our society can be better protected against crime, uncleanliness and
otherwise despicable acts by getting rid of prohibition: a fallacious
policy wanting of wishful thinking. Such policy has proven
ineffective, inefficient and more troublesome than preventive. The
1920s era of prohibition ended in failure due to its creation of black
markets, gang activity and crime; our current war on drugs does not
conceptually differ.

These events are useful in that they show humans, by nature and
whether we choose to accept it or not, are often times attracted to
vice. Only a campaign of containment can eradicate the host of
problems created by the policy of prohibition; just as a controlled
fire is allowed only to burn certain areas of underbrush, we can
control violators' choices by disallowing them the right to choose.
Simple logic and empirical evidence provide that prohibition creates a
black market where tax is not paid, behavior is not regulated and
crime flourishes.

Additionally, prohibition does not discourage lawlessness but rather
encourages it, resulting in substantial amounts of money being
illegally made from which Big Brother will not see a dime, and
taxpayers will bear no relief.

Blake Fowler, Paris 
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