From: [p--a--l] at [crl.com] (Peter Helyar)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs,alt.hemp,alt.drugs,alt.sci.sociology,sci.psychology
Subject: Re: Legalization and Increased Drug Use
Date: 28 Dec 1993 00:43:58 -0800

[c--i--a] at [netcom.com] (Camilla Cracchiolo) writes:
>You could also look to see if alcoholism increased in the US at the end
>of Prohibition.

I've said this here before, but it bears repeating: There is more to this 
than number of users. The mere fact of Prohibition radically changes 
patterns of use as well.

Thus, the Prohibition of alcohol reduced per capita consumption of 
alcohol in this country by about 30%. Look closer, however, and you will 
find that the per capita consumption of beer declined by 90%, and the per 
capita consumption of hard liquor rose significantly, so that it was 
higher than it had ever been or has been since.

What was happening was that the casual users, the ones least motivated to 
take the risks of illegal behaviour for the pleasure of drinking, stopped 
using the drug. The more dedicated drinkers (including alcoholics) drank 
harder spirits in greater quantities than ever, offsetting the drop in 
consumption somewhat, and driving the percentage of problem consumption 
_far_ higher.

The phenomenon of acute drug abuse (as opposed to chronic), in which 
users partake only occassionally but almost always very heavily when they 
do, is a by-product of Prohibition. Witness the use of cocaine before and 
after the Harrison Act: before 1914, most users of cocaine took it in the 
form of Coca-Cola, in very small doses spread evenly over long periods of 
time. Now, users are far more likely to take it in binges of its most 
potent form, crack. In addition, there are far fewer casual and 
responsible users of the drug.

It is responsible drug use, and safe drug use, which are attacked by 
Prohibition. Foolish, destructive, heavy, and otherwise problematic use 
are actually encouraged by criminalization.

Most important reference for this post:

_Undoing Drugs_, Benjamin and Miller, 1991 ISBN 0-465-08854-6.

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