Platinum Contributing Member Highmark Posted October 15, 2019 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted October 15, 2019 (edited) Legalize and sin tax them. Nice little chunk of change to fed and state govts. Between booze and illegal drugs American's spend almost $1200 per person or ave $4800 per family of 4. I'm surprised the booze numbers aren't higher. https://reason.com/2019/08/20/americans-spend-nearly-as-much-on-illegal-drugs-as-they-do-on-booze-which-shows-what-a-ripoff-prohibition-is/ Americans spent nearly $150 billion on marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine in 2016, according to a RAND Corporation report released today. Total spending on illegal drugs, including psychedelics and MDMA, would have been even higher. By comparison, Americans spent $227 billion on alcoholic beverages in 2016. The fact that the illegal drug market and the alcohol market are in the same ballpark is pretty remarkable, given that drinkers outnumber illegal drug users by more than 4 to 1. The "risk premium" associated with prohibition helps explain why illegal drug users nevertheless manage to spend almost as much money as drinkers do. The near-parity in spending reflects the profits traffickers can earn thanks to prohibition and the welfare loss caused by artificially high prices. Prohibition enriches criminals and rips off consumers. Of the four drugs considered by RAND, marijuana (including state-legal products), accounted for the biggest share of spending (36 percent), followed by heroin (29 percent), methamphetamine (18 percent), and cocaine (16 percent). Adjusting for inflation, the researchers found that cocaine spending fell by 59 percent from 2006 to 2016, while spending on methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana rose by 23 percent, 39 percent, and 53 percent, respectively. Edited October 15, 2019 by Highmark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irv Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 I wonder how they know this? Is it based on assumptions/the amount of busts or something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member Highmark Posted October 15, 2019 Author Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted October 15, 2019 1 minute ago, irv said: I wonder how they know this? Is it based on assumptions/the amount of busts or something else? Yeah....lots of assumptions. I think the number is low myself. These numbers are based on multi-step calculations drawing on several data sources related to drug use and prices. Some of those sources are more dependable than others. As RAND's drug policy researchers have pointed out before, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) misses a lot of heroin users, both because they are underrepresented in the sample and because people are especially reluctant to admit the use of this drug. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anler Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 It sure would be cool if you can just run down to the store to pick up an 8 ball. Snowmobiling day and nite! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old indy Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 1 hour ago, Anler said: It sure would be cool if you can just run down to the store to pick up an 8 ball. Snowmobiling day and nite! what its not expensive enough for you already!!?!!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGNHL Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 2 hours ago, Anler said: It sure would be cool if you can just run down to the store to pick up an 8 ball. Snowmobiling day and nite! I'd rather people have a few Nose-beers and ride than pound 18 Coors and try to race their buddy on their clapped out F6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anler Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 8 minutes ago, GGNHL said: I'd rather people have a few Nose-beers and ride than pound 18 Coors and try to race their buddy on their clapped out F6 Yes and even if they could make some cocaine vape pens like they do for weed! Then you dont have to get the sniffles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGNHL Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 4 minutes ago, Anler said: Yes and even if they could make some cocaine vape pens like they do for weed! Then you dont have to get the sniffles! No more coke boogers, that would really make America Great Again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anler Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Just now, GGNHL said: No more coke boogers, that would really make America Great Again! It would be tremendous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Contributing Member Skidooski Posted October 15, 2019 Platinum Contributing Member Share Posted October 15, 2019 3 hours ago, Anler said: It sure would be cool if you can just run down to the store to pick up an 8 ball. Snowmobiling day and nite! I hope that doesn't happen......I'd be dead and or dead broke in 3 months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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