(no subject)
The Economist from the past week dealt with the war on drugs and basically how crappy it is. This is an issue I am somewhat passionate about, and the last paragraph on one of their articles really hit the nail on the head.
After talking about the effectiveness of decreasing the use of tobacco:
"It may seem odd that the campaign against tobacco, a legal drug, has displayed so much more élan than the war on illegal drugs. Yet this is natural. Making a drug illegal may discourage some people from taking it, but it also discourages frank conversation and clear thinking. It is much easier to attack something if it is brought into the light."
Bingo.
After talking about the effectiveness of decreasing the use of tobacco:
"It may seem odd that the campaign against tobacco, a legal drug, has displayed so much more élan than the war on illegal drugs. Yet this is natural. Making a drug illegal may discourage some people from taking it, but it also discourages frank conversation and clear thinking. It is much easier to attack something if it is brought into the light."
Bingo.