FREE NARCOTICS WON'T WORK

Dear Editor,

Re: Letter to Editor - Narcotics should be free to stop crime, March 5, 2008

I would like to point out that legislation couldn't make drugs
'free'. The economic theory of supply and demand would suggest that
as long as someone demands narcotics, the supplier will always be
able to charge them up to whatever value the addict places on the
narcotics. Just because a law allows something to be distributed for
free does not mean that it will be done so. Currently, there is no
reason that illegal drugs could not be distributed free of charge,
and yet they are sold at a high premium.

Drugs could be made free to the end user (the addict). For this to
occur, the government would need to decriminalize the narcotics first
and then formalize the industry and subsidize their use. To compare
this to an existing situation, the methadone project attempts to
provide addicts with a product that can be controlled and
distributed. And yet the drugs are not 'free' as one might hope, we
share the cost throughout society via taxation. Still, a black-market
exists for methadone on the streets, as it does for many other
controlled narcotics.

Many negative externalities are not considered in the proposed 'free
drugs' plan. Assuming a plan was put into place that allowed drugs to
be distributed without charge to the addict. If there were a
rationing regulation, we delve back into the world of black-markets.
If there were no rationing regulations, we may be without the petty
crime that is associated with addicts. Back to
economics/supply-demand: if the price of a product is decreased (free
to the end-user), the consumer will consumer more. Look at bars as an
example. If liquor is made cheaper, customers will consume more than
at the higher price. Suddenly we find that the health care system is
facing an increased load of illness correlated with drug-use. Not so
free. There is also the consideration of coexistence with more
drug-users. Researchers have looked into decriminalizing narcotics in
an effort to drive the prices down naturally but this does not escape
the side effects that go along with cheaper drugs. One might compare
the situation with that of alcohol, an addictive and
physically/socially destructive substance when used in abundance and
without regulation that is taxed, socially acceptable, and industrialized.

Justin Morgan

Harrison Mills