Comments on: About face

By: The Agitator » Blog Archive » Temperance unleashed

The Agitator » Blog Archive » Temperance unleashed — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:59:13 +0000

[...] temperance movement marches on — as does the book. This excerpt picks up where this one left off. Thanks again for the helpful comments you’ve been providing so far. The book is improved [...]

By: Ryan Grim

Ryan Grim — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 19:57:52 +0000

I’ll check on that. You may be right. And Dan Brown: Good point. I’m adding “their version of” to make that clear.

By: Me

Me — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:17:25 +0000

They were its foundation. By the late 1800s, levies on alcohol, tobacco, and tea made up almost half of all British government revenue.
The 1800′s? late 18th century maybe?

By: togolosh

togolosh — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 23:38:07 +0000

The lesson of history is clear: If you want legalization, make sure the drugs are taxed. If politicians are addicted to the revenue stream they’ll be hard pressed to ban the source.

VA sells all hard liquor through state stores which kick money directly back to Richmond. It would be a very small step indeed to add Marijuana to their stocks. I doubt we could get them to stock Heroin, but down the line perhaps tincture of opium might be a possibility.

By: Dan Brown

Dan Brown — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:00:36 +0000

“following God’s code to the letter”? Well, the Bible certainly doesn’t support total abstinence from alcohol.

By: Michael Pack

Michael Pack — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:49:19 +0000

William,deaths do to drinking went down after the repeal.You need to count the thousands that died each year due to poison bootleg and home brew and the murders cause by gangs due to turf wars.

By: Michael Pack

Michael Pack — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:42:04 +0000

This shows that people have abused drugs since the beginning of time .Yet,the worst violence and corruption only occur during prohibition.The lesson is,when you turn millions of people[of all types] into criminals overnight a black market will fill the void.Government will need to take harsher measures,many in law enforcement will take the money and respect for the law will diminish.In my parents generation,every one new someone who had drank or sold illegal booze.In mine,we all know people many people(myself included) who have at least smoked pot and yet most never became addicts or drunks.

By: chance

chance — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:35:06 +0000

William: who is making an argument against legalization? It seems to me it is simply being pointed out that proponents of legalization should be aware that besides the initial fight to legalize, they will have to continue fighting in order to maintain their victory (if they win that is).

By: William

William — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:50:23 +0000

Chance: thats a poor argument against legalization. Just because moralists might make the same arguments and attempt to enact the same ruinous legislation in the future doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t challenge the current ruinous legislation. Just because individuals made poor choices in the past (and, to be perfectly honest, continue to make poor choices today) doesn’t mean we should continue to accept wholesale restrictions on the choices of everyone.

Alcoholism went up after prohibition ended, as did deaths related to drinking, (eventually) deaths related to drunk driving, and all of the other ills that come with prolific alcohol use in a society. Indeed, today we’re seeing many of the same arguments that had been made to justify prohibition a century ago being made by public health activists today. Should we have simply accepted prohibition so many years ago? Should we have said “well, innocent people are going to jail, criminal syndicates are becoming rich and gaining power, but hey, if we turn back we’ll just start over again?”

By: Jimi G

Jimi G — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:40:48 +0000

“Yet legalized drugs weren’t an accidental byproduct of the 19th century’s economic and technological advances. They were its foundation.”

I found this interesting. I once read that Thomas Edison lived on only three hours of sleep per day. Is it possible he was a speed freak? Could it be that the incredible leaps of technology that occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were made possible by drug-supported obsessive-compulsive behavior among scientists?

By: chance

chance — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:34:23 +0000

“What would happen if drugs were legalized? Well, it happened. And history suggests that if we ever legalize them again, it won’t be long before we ban them all over again.”

Interesting point. One proponents of legalization need to keep in mind.