Economics of Prohibition

Jacksonville based writer A.G. Gancarski has a very positive review of a new book, An Analytic Assessment of U.S. Drug Policy by David Boyum and Peter Reuter, in today's Washington Times. Gancarski writes, "Using arguments rooted largely in cost-benefit analysis, the authors neatly debunk the drug war as it is currently fought. Decrying the lack of"strong empirical evidence of substantial effectiveness" of the effort, the scholars suggest that the drug war's advocates be charged with providing said evidence."

When we consider the message of this book in conjunction with the June report issued by Harvard economist Jeffrey A. Miron on the costs of marijuana prohibition it becomes crystal clear that the war on people who use certain kinds of drugs is, if nothing else, a colossal waste of money.