Milton Friedman on Drugs, Limited Government
July 18th, 2007 by MarkMilton Friedman, who passed away less than a year ago, was undoubtedly one of the greatest minds of our time.
Milton Friedman (July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American Nobel Laureate economist and public intellectual. An advocate of laissez-faire capitalism, Friedman made major contributions to the fields of macroeconomics, microeconomics, economic history and statistics. In 1976, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for his achievements in the fields of consumption analysis, monetary history and theory and for his demonstration of the complexity of stabilization policy.[1]
According to The Economist, Friedman “was the most influential economist of the second half of the 20th century…possibly of all of it.”[2] Alan Greenspan stated “There are very few people over the generations who have ideas that are sufficiently original to materially alter the direction of civilization. Milton is one of those very few people.”[3] In his 1962 book Capitalism and Freedom, Friedman advocated minimizing the role of government in a free market as a means of creating political and social freedom.
Wikipedia: Milton Friedman
Friedman’s words about the War on Drugs are just as relevant today as they were two decades ago. Currently, America leads the entire world in prison population, both in total number, and on a per-capita basis.
The proper role of the government is to prevent other people from harming an individual. Government never has any right to interfere with an individual for that individual’s own good. The case for prohibiting drugs is exactly as strong and as weak as the case for prohibiting people from over eating.
We all know that over-eating causes more deaths than drugs do.”
-Milton Friedman
The following video is about Milton’s idea about the limited role of government:
Milton’s definitive work on the subject, considered by many to be amongst the 100 most influential post WWII books ever written, is Capitalism and Freedom
July 19th, 2007 at 2:48 am
[...] Milton Friedman on the Drug War [...]
July 19th, 2007 at 4:36 am
I think Milton Friedman is overlooking a fundamantal difference between our government interfering with access to illegal drugs and interfering with our excessive intake of foods. That difference is in “who gets harmed in the process”. Many murders and robberies are committed for drug money, and the emotional and financial lives of friends and family are often destroyed in attempts to rehabilitate addicted loved ones. The primary victim of overeating is the culprit himself.
July 19th, 2007 at 5:12 am
Most violence from illegal drugs comes from the fact that they are illegal. Look at alcohol prohibition, how much violence did that cause! And to say all illegal drugs are so addictive that people will murder and steal to support their habit is not correct either. Fact is there will always be junkies, we need to stop treating them as criminals and start treating them like patients. Because they have a sickness that needs treatment, throwing them in jail is NOT treatment.
July 19th, 2007 at 5:30 am
“Many murders and robberies are committed for drug money…”
The high cost of drugs is directly related to their being illegal. Decriminalize drugs and our prison population would shrink our legal system would be freed to arrest to prosecute violent criminals and gangs would literally disappear(well there would still some but they’re turf would have no value).
“…emotional and financial lives of friends and family are often destroyed in attempts to rehabilitate addicted loved ones…”
If drugs were legal they wouldn’t be expensive(most are cheaper to produce than alcohol). The percentage of people addicted to drugs has remained unchanged since they were legal in the US- over something like 70-80 years. Laws making drugs illegal just make drug addiction(a natural state of affairs for some people) a crime, they don’t help anyone.
July 19th, 2007 at 5:34 am
There is very little difference between the need for food and the need for drugs – both needs are driven by a felt necessesity, and both addicts and the malnourished are often driven to extremes. It is narrow minded to look only at drug addiction as the fueling source behind criminal acts – many thefts are committed for want or need of money, whether that money is for drugs, food, materials goods or rent – the point is that economic pressures exist in all forms, and when there is not enough money in hand (for drugs, food or other expenses) crime is one of many options available to fulfill this need. Eliminating access to drugs only serves to inflate the market; this is why methadone clinics and food banks exist alike.
July 19th, 2007 at 7:43 am
Friedman was a genius and a true defender of liberty, perhaps the most notable of the 20th century. I have a good deal about him and similar topics at my site too:
http://amateureconblog.blogspot.com/
July 19th, 2007 at 8:04 am
http://tv-links.co.uk/show.do/9/5527
Take a gander at this documentary about the war on drugs from the people who “fight” it. It amounts to much of what else is going on in the world right now: bullshit.
July 19th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Tom -
Try listening the the clip before you open your mouth. Moron.
July 19th, 2007 at 11:29 am
[...] Milton Friedman on Drugs, Limited Government [...]
July 19th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Absolutely amazing. Fabulous content. Thank you.
Nonetheless, I cannot figure how while his personal sentiment seems to be pro black and proletariat… his policies demonstrate anti-black, anti-proletariat results.
His failure to mention/address the a “Collective Profiteering” for the greater good (Mahayana) as in Japan in his theory of “The Drift toward Collectivism” and why [Open Mind vid] is also a major err of thought.
July 19th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Westan, could you elaborate a bit more? According to world human rights organizations, a third of young black men are in prison in America, and the majority are in for drug offenses. Friedman’s policy of limited government (i.e., ending the war on drugs), is especially good for the black population, though we would all benefit.
July 19th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
You may quibble with one or two points that Friedman makes, but his essential points are sound. In fact, he is a douchebag in many respects.
But the resources sunk into the War on Drugs is collosal. And it hasn’t worked for decades. The war is infinite, you never win.
The ONLY way to change this is for average people (and the masses of other idiots who couldn’t give a shit about anything) to vote for a true leader and not a liar in 2008.
Do NOT vote for a Mainstream candidate in 2008, unless they show true leadership as articulated by Friedman.
July 19th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Mark>>
Im just pointing out [results] as opposed to [principles]
as demonstrated by the Reagan administration (however half-ass it may have been).
Although I am “AfAm” I am trying to be objective.
I think it would help everybody with Whites as consumers of drugs and Blacks as distributors of the drug (–despite that drugs sell themselves; they don’t really need any marketing).
July 19th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
>>Nonetheless, I cannot figure how while his personal sentiment seems to be pro black and proletariat… his policies
>> demonstrate anti-black, anti-proletariat results.
With all due respect, quite the contrary. His policies are not pro or anti-black. They are simply pro-liberty and color-blind.
July 19th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
>With all due respect, quite the contrary. His policies are not pro or anti-black. They are simply pro-liberty and color-blind.
Hahaha – yeah, thats what I meant = same thing, duh.
July 19th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
One thing to consider is that neither Reagan, nor the Democratic congress during his presidency agreed with Friedman on this topic. If they had, we might have a freer, wealthier and safer country now.
July 24th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
if a trial of legality were put in effect, taxes, growth control, manufacture oversight etc. still in effect government control just on the other side would the bad stigmas goaway? pesonaly i say let a man drink a couple glasses of bleach or arsenic for that matter..if someone wants to die who are we to judge? remember fly as high as you like, over your house or the statosphere, just fly straight…fast as you want in the right place but do it right…..i work with a very large group of stoners we do hazurdous jobs daily but they do them well.
July 24th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
if leagal, and somehow controled, then taxed wow… lets see alcohol related deaths everyday, how many die from phil morris??? if the govt. could reg. it, tax it, basically control the situation they would legalize,,,but weeds are hard to kill…by the way how many other hallucinagenic NATURAL things there are out there makes ya wonder???
July 24th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
sorry bout spelling havent had to much sleep but 1 more bite to chew on, and i speak from experience, i’m sure a lot of you can relate, a have hade a serious back injury, consiquintly a surgery, resulting in permanant nerve damage.
now im not special i am like many who live with pain, point being i have used illicit drugs and my rx’s percocet,oxycodone,etc no difference..one is legal, one isnt. prob is big bro cant make $$$$ and have control.After all we all dont have a pfizer t.m. lab out back!!