War on Drugs

Yahoo News recently ran an Associated Press article with the above heading. Here are some quotes: Disturbing new research says the number of U.S. babies born with signs of opiate drug withdrawal has tripled in a decade because of a surge in pregnant women's use of legal and illegal narcotics, including Vicodin, OxyContin and heroin, researchers say. The number of newborns with withdrawal symptoms increased from a little more than 1 per 1,000 babies sent home from the hospital in 2000 to more than 3 per 1,000 in 2009, the study found. More than 13,000 U.S. infants were affected in 2009, the researchers estimated. ...

This post was edited and updated on June 29 2014, to include additional thoughts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A Rational Policy on Drugs and Alcohol In my last post I argued against government prohibitions against drugs and alcohol. My position is that substances such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, etc., should be legal in the same way that alcohol and tobacco are today. I believe, however, that the distribution and marketing of these substances should be brought under direct government control. All of the commonly abused addictive substances are dangerous, and they have taken - and continue to take - an enormous toll on society. This cost includes lives, health, lost opportunities, money and general suffering and anguish. But it’s difficult to put old heads on young shoulders, and it seems that each generation - indeed each individual - has to learn these lessons anew. I don’t believe we can ever eradicate substance abuse entirely. ...

In my previous post on this subject, I discussed addiction to alcohol and other drugs. I made the point that addiction to these substances is not an illness, but rather an extremely strong habit. Treatment Programs The notion that alcoholism is a disease gained popularity in the 50’s and 60’s. At about the same time, employers were beginning the practice of offering medical insurance to their staff, and insurance companies routinely included 30 days of treatment per year for alcoholism and/or drug addiction. At the time, there were very few treatment units for these problems, and little use was made of the drug and alcohol provisions in the insurance policies. ...