Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Liberty magazine against personal liberty

This article from Liberty magazine in their July/August 2006 edition discusses the effectiveness of reintroducing alcohol prohibition to Barrow, Alaska. The ban, introduced in 1994, reduced alcohol-related emergency room visits by over two thirds in the first 30 days after enactment. The author considers why state-wide prohibition failed earlier in the last century when there was a "smug non-compliance" with the Volstead Act even by various presidents. The author then criticises the proponents of drug legalization by referring to the problems caused by the legalization of alcohol. The author considers personal liberty less important than society's health. "It is in keeping with the principles of religious liberty to criminalize harmful substances, if those harmful substances would wreak havoc on a society." Given the harms caused by alcohol the author deems that "self-harm should be legally prohibited".

No comments: