drug legalization in the WSJ

John P. Walters vs. Steven B. Duke in the WSJ on the legalization, decriminalization, or the continuation of Prohibition II...

First, Walters:

What would America look like with twice or three times as many drug users and addicts?

Uhhh, if this is more than a inflammatory hypothetical, John do you have data on the elasticity of drug use? In other words, how many more users and addicts would there be with legalization? How many MORE people are itching to smoke pot or crack-- if only it were legal?

Walters continues:

To answer, consider what America was like in the recent past, during the frightening epidemic of methamphetamine, so similar to the crack outbreak of the 1980s. Each was a nightmare, fueled by ready drug availability.

Actually, John, the War on Drugs was rolling along nicely during both those periods.

If you haven't thought much about this issue previously, you can catch the party line from Walters-- or stretch yourself by reading Duke.