# Why are drug laws so severe everywhere? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 8, 2017, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-drug-laws-so-severe-everywhere/786156 "2017-05-08T20:40:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-drug-laws-so-severe-everywhere/786156/21 "2017-05-15T00:08:50Z")
> [@Warm\_blood](#): > > This is honestly the first time I’m hearing about this. Why is this never mentioned by media outlets, let alone cited as an example of why decriminalizing drugs would be the best thing for society? Here is a good ted talk on the subject. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY9DcIMGxMs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY9DcIMGxMs) ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-drug-laws-so-severe-everywhere/786156/22 "2017-05-15T03:49:07Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > Yes, but much worse for all the people who are making money off the current system of illegal drugs. > > And there’s a lot of them: > > - everybody involved in illegal drug sales > - everybody involved in illegal drug importing > - all those border guards, package inspectors, etc. fighting drug importation > - all the police & federal agents arresting drug customers & seizing their vehicles > - tow companies, impound lots, car auction houses selling seized vehicles > - all the lawyers defending arrested drug customers > - all the judges & court officials trying drug customers > - all the jail & prison guards (50% of inmates are there for drug ‘crimes’) > - probation officers for drug customers > - treatment centers & counselors who ‘treat’ drug users > - banks & ATM makers who support this ‘cash economy’ > - companies that make small portable scales > - companies that make tiny plastic baggies > - corner ‘grocery’ stores who’d go bankrupt otherwise > - head shops, bong shops, and so forth > - companies that make throw-away cell phones > etc. > > A whole lot of people who get at least some of their income from the illegal drug economy, and would hate to see that lost. All those people could be given dignified, high-paid jobs digging holes and filling them in again. I’m not being facetious; the point is if many of the people on that list are enforcing something that doesn’t need to be enforced then it is _not_ helpful to the economy. Better would be have them do something useful like work on infrastructure say. Even doing nothing and getting a welfare check would be preferable. Also, I think you were just spitballing after a while in that list. Why would manufacturers of drug paraphrenalia go broke? Why would it negatively affect grocery stores? ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-drug-laws-so-severe-everywhere/786156/23 "2017-05-16T05:49:56Z")
I blame the Puritans. They started that whole idea of anything fun being bad. Sex was only for procreation. No wearing bright colors! No dancing! And put out that goddamned joint! ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-drug-laws-so-severe-everywhere/786156/24 "2017-05-16T11:45:32Z")
> [@dofe](#): > > Can you name one thing more devastating to a country than the collapse of the government? I don’t think you understand how much of an impact the humiliation of the opium wars has had in modern political and social attitudes towards drug use in East Asian countries. A lot of the laws punishing drug use with death results from this. You beat me to it - a lot of truth to this. The opium trade had a profoundly traumatic effect on China in particular but also anywhere where the drug was marketed. Chinese in particular associate the drug trade with imperialism. In places like Indonesia and Malaysia, Islamic attitudes toward substance may also be a factor [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-drug-laws-so-severe-everywhere/786156.md?page=1)