Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Those things have large negative externalities that the individual doesn’t pay for.

Drugs don’t really have that- unless you make them high cost and illegal.



Alcohol has massive externalities and it’s legal.


That isn't quite true, addiction has a high social cost. Hurts relationships, breaks families apart, and increases national medical spending.


Some drugs do cause problems like alcohol, but for other drugs issues come from legal status rather than drugs themselves. I know plenty of people who take cannabis multiple times a day and they have great lives.


If you think medical spending is high (pun intended), you should see what incarceration costs, perhaps 10x as much.[0]

[0]https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/principles-drug-abuse...




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: