Bases Quote by Milton Friedman
“There is no logical basis for the prohibition of marijuana. $7.7 billion is a lot of money, but that is one of the lesser evils. Our failure to successfully enforce these laws is responsible for the deaths of thousands of people in Colombia. I haven't even included the harm to young people. It's absolutely disgraceful to think of picking up a 22-year-old for smoking pot. More disgraceful is the denial of marijuana for medical purposes.”
About This Quote
The argument claims marijuana prohibition lacks logical justification, noting economic costs, enforcement failures, and negative health impacts, especially in Colombia.
In simple terms: Marijuana ban is illogical and harmful.
Key Takeaway
Reevaluate drug policies.
Themes
policy
economics
health
justice
Mood
critical
concerned
Type
political
analytical
When to use this quote
- lawmaking
- public health advocacy
- international policy
Key Concepts
criminal law
public health
economic inefficiency
Questions to Reflect On
- How can regulation address health concerns?
- What alternatives to prohibition exist?
A Different Perspective
Counterargument: potential societal harms of increased usage.
![“Finally, one night we were smoking pot [with Michael O'Donoghue] and talking about the people that are invariably in high school, whether you go to prep school or public school or ghetto school or rich suburban school. And actually, it spun off from a Kurt Vonnegut quote.” quote by P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a43/p-j-o-rourke-184_ghetto_finally-one-night-we-were-smoking-pot-wi_324321.jpg)
