ONDCP/ Pushingback.com- “We legalized drugs and it didn’t work”

Whenever I feel short of inspiration for blogging I can always turn to pushingback.com. If you have never read my blog before PB is the official government “blog” for Prohibition propaganda.

Here is a recent story-

Violent Pharmacy Crime
If only we legalized, taxed, and regulated prescription drugs, this kind of thing wouldn’t happen, right?

Oh wait.

First I want to congratulate ONDCP for adopting a less formal blogging approach. It’s curt, almost pithy and could be mistaken for a real blog post if not for the doltish proposition.

Let’s examine the logic, or complete lack thereof, in this post. ONDCP assumes that prescription drugs are legalized, taxed, and regulated. That is true to an extent. You pay taxes on these pills, they are highly regulated, and in some ways their use are legal.

What the post ignores is that the market for addicts/casual users is still illegal. There is no legalized, taxed, or regulated market for these consumers. Ergo, black markets (criminals) fill this demand.

Combine the war on pain doctors, huge demand by addicts/users, Prohibition, and a supply of narcotics at every CVS/Walgreens across America and you get…. Pharmacy Robberies. Prohibition causes crime (including pharmacy robberies). ONDCP frequently argues for Prohibition by complaining about the negative externalities caused by Prohibition.

When adults have a legal supply available pharmacies will not be robbed for pills anymore than liquor stores are robbed for beer.

UPDATE- I sent these comments to ONDCP and asked if they would post and respond. I won’t hold my breath. Unlike real blogs, ONDCP doesn’t allow users to post comments. I look forward to the debate that will never happen.