Dr. Miron, first off, thank you for doing an AMA. Looking forward to reading all the responses.
Second, how do we draw the line today and in the future between ‘harmless’ drugs and ‘harmful’ drugs, especially when new variants or types of drugs pop up all the time? How do we create a robust system to differentiate drugs?
I don’t think we can differentiate in a meaningful way, because the main negatives come from prohibition, independent of the properties of the prohibited good. If we outlawed caffeine, we would have a violent black market with poor quality control in which people suffered far more adverse effects from caffeine than now.
I heard someone talking about this on NPR a few days ago. He brought up an aspect I hadn’t thought of–that organized criminals in states with more medical/recreational cannabis have shifted their black market endeavors to things like identity theft, manufacture of counterfeit IDs, human trafficking, etc.
He wasn’t making an argument for continued prohibition, rather that the underlying social issues of poverty cycles, gangs, low-education, and recidivism need to be addressed if we want to reduce criminal activity.
Lifting prohibition isn’t a panacea. If drugs are legalized, what solutions do you propose to address those social issues that incubate and perpetuate criminal activity?
The war on drugs has destroyed countless lives. Thank you for your time.
jeffreymiron
[I] agree that legalization is not a panacea. To some degree, the other policies we need to reduce crime are also reductions or eliminations of prohibitions, however. For example, manufacture of counterfeit IDs is a big deal because we restrict immigration; human trafficking is a problem in part because we outlaw [prostitution].
Nevertheless, policies that improve education, e.g., are also important.
CassiopeiaStillLife
Hi, Jeff! What’s your favorite song off of
Lost in the Dream? “Red Eyes”? “An Ocean in Between the Waves”?
I kid, of course-you’re asking about the
other War on Drugs. Do you think that public opinion will shift to the point where opposing the War on Drugs isn’t a dealbreaker?
jeffreymiron
For marijuana, has roughly shifted that much so far. For other drugs, it’s going to take a while.
empiregrille
In your mind, what is the key difference between drug legalization and decriminalization?
jeffreymiron
Legalization brings the supply side above ground. That eliminates the violence and quality control problems, and allows normal taxation.
DSSK-7
Given known levels of drug use, demand, and price, approximately how much tax revenue would the U.S. stand to collect if we legalized and regulated all drug use, taxing it at a similar rate as alcohol?
jeffreymiron
ballpark $50 billion per year. google “miron waldock cato.”
DSSK-7
Thanks for the response! That is indeed a hell of a lot of money. Here’s the report for anyone else interested:
https://www.cato.org/publications/white-paper/budgetary-impact-ending-drug-prohibition
phillyguy667
On a sort of opposite note from many questions already posted: Can you describe what some of the adverse economic effects stemming from overall legalization might be, and how they might be meaningfully addressed? I understand that the potential adverse effects from legalization of a drug like heroin may be different from legalization of a drug like marijuana, but are there any unifying characteristics?
Thanks for stopping by!
jeffreymiron
The only real negative I can imagine is that a few people who do not currently use will perhaps try newly legalized drugs and, in some cases, have bad experiences. But evidence suggests that’s a a modest number, and of course has to be balanced against all the benefits of legalization.
DeepBlueSeaz
Hi Professor Miron. As a young, millennial, graduate student in government, I was wondering to what degree you feel drug policy is affected by the older generation as opposed to the younger. Further, in what ways do you expect anti-drug sentiment to shift as millennials begin to age and take more prominent roles in policy?
Thanks!
jeffreymiron
Well, I am a lot older than a graduate student, and I grew up hearing that as the baby boom generation matured, legalization would occur. Happened a bit, but not to an overwhelming degree. I guess many people get more conservative, at least about drugs, as they age. So, we have to convince old folks too!