Analysis: There a multitude of flawed presumptions all shrouded in either a complete misunderstanding of how the drug trade operates or a zealous adherence to some utopian ideal. But let’s just talk about the dealer side. Here are some simple truisms:
1. All drug users are supplied by drug dealers (save those who engage in prescription fraud or manufacture their own).
2. Drug use by the destitute addict is funded by crime committed upon society.
3. Drug dealers want more drug use – the more prevalent and ease with which individuals can use, the greater the demand for their product.
4. With all of that in mind, the losers of this policy are the good citizens of New York and the addicts themselves. Relaxed drug laws lead to increased use – more addicts. That is why the American Society of Addictive Medicine wrote a white paper criticizing the legalization of marijuana. As ASAM notes, once society allows conduct, the perceived threat goes down, and use goes up. Remember, in the last several years, North America has been bombarded with groups promoting the legalization of marijuana – as a result, there are ten times the number of daily marijuana users than when Bill Clinton was president. The trajectory of increased drug use is astounding … and alarming.
5. Like most reform movements, the purported benefactors of the compassionate program are in reality its greatest victims.
6. In contrast, the greatest benefactor of this policy are the drug dealers. For thousands of years, conduct is either allowed by society or prohibited.
