Treat Pot Better Than We Did Booze!

3 ways to not screw up marijuana legalization

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Treat Pot Better Than We Did Booze!

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As marijuana legalization is underway in America, there are a number of lessons that can be learned from the end of prohibition. Here are three of them:

(1) Prohibition Doesn't Prohibit

As we saw during prohibition, the demand to drink alcohol was still there—but it was simply just driven underground. What took over, of course, was a black market fueled by violence and bath tub gin. 

(2) Don't Confuse Regulation with Control

After the end of prohibition, many states put a great deal of regulation in place to control alcohol. Even today, when you visit some microbreweries they can't even sell you a pint of their own beer.

(3) Put Consumers First

In many states like Pennsylvania and Virginia, consumers still have to go to these state-run, Soviet-like package stores that offer neither good prices nor good selection. 

Let's hope with the legalization of marijuana that we learn the lessons from prohibition and not make the same mistakes with pot that we did with alcohol. 

For more information on how not to legalize pot, check out Garrett Peck's article in Reason's latest issue

About 1 minute. 

Shot by Meredith Bragg. Edited by Amanda Winkler and Bragg. 

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Comments

[Number 2]

“Let’s hope with the legalization of marijuana that we learn the lessons from prohibition and not make the same mistakes with pot that we did with alcohol. ”

Fat chance.

[Dances-with-Trolls]

Oh they’ve learned the lessons alright and creating a whole separate system of graft, corruption, and spoils would be such an effort I suspect that we’ll see the current alcohol model copied whole cloth. Probably with more taxes, cuz, why not?

[Wingo_man]

“In many states like Pennsylvania and Virginia, consumers still have to go to these state-run, Soviet-like package stores that offer neither good prices nor good selection. ”

In Pennsylvania the prices and selection are great at their state-run “wine and spirits” stores. The hours and locations…. not so much.

There’s something very wrong about a state’s alcohol laws when one has to visit three separate stores to get a six pack of beer, a case of beer, and a bottle of wine.

Also, it’s pretty much impossible to find a good six pack of beer in Pennsylvania outside of a few affluent areas, as six packs are sold “to-go” from restaurants. I wonder if the despair of having to choose a six-pack from a cooler of domestics at Pizza Hut ever drove a man to alcoholism.

[Dances-with-Trolls]

In Pennsylvania the prices and selection are great at their state-run “wine and spirits” stores.

It very much depends on what neighborhood you are in.

Also, it’s pretty much impossible to find a good six pack of beer in Pennsylvania outside of a few affluent areas,

Not really, just that by tying six-packs to bars you are almost invariably overcharged for them.

The only thing the various factions in the PA alcohol wars can agree on is that protection of their own little fiefdom is sacrosanct and if you want the laws altered in a way that does not favor them you want children and kittens to be killed in their beds by drunk drivers.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

That’s EVERYTHING in PA, not just alcohol.

[Wingo_man]

I lived in a small town in central PA and the selection of six packs was TERRIBLE. Just a big wall cooler of basic domestics priced a dollar or two higher than in any other state. Basically the kind of selection you’d find in a gas station in states that “allow” such things.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

You’re not from Wingo KY, by any chance?

[Some call me Tim?]

What are you talking about?! The prices are shit, when you compare them to driving just over the border to ANY OTHER STATE.

The selection is hit or miss, depending on your neighborhood. If you want something truly esoteric, it’s probably not available to you.

[sarcasmic]

Not sure if I believe the guy or not, but this weekend I had a homebrewing conversation with a guy from PA who said his only option was extract. That no grains were available. That just doesn’t seem right, especially when he talked about making stouts and such which you cannot do without specialty grain. He said you roast oatmeal if you want to add flavor. Sounds like a drag.

[Robert]

Shit like that must be why my friend’s planning on making honey in Penna. & shipping it to N.Y. to ferment into mead.

[SIV]

Let’s hope with the legalization of marijuana that we learn the lessons from prohibition and not make the same mistakes with pot that we did with alcohol.

In Colorado and Washington the bullshit was built in to the ballot initiative. “Tax and regulate” shouldn’t be the mantra of the legalization movement, nor trying to potect “stakeholders” in the existing medical and black markets. Just legalize the damn shit without any particular regulatory framework for commercial players. Reason published a poll (I don’t recall if it was in-house or another more established polling company) that DC residents slightly preferred a simple legalization over a tax and regulation scheme. Promise actual savings from not enforcing prohibition, not ruining lives and a stronger police and judicial focus on pursuing crimes with actual victims over unrealistically inflated increased revenue flows to government coffers.

[Robert]

I’m afraid you’re giving insufficient weight to 2 factors:

1. Sure, residents of a jurisdiction might transiently support simple prohibition repeal by enough to get it thru, but could just as well re-enact it a short while later unless the bad guys have skin in the game.

2. At this stage I’m afraid U.S. would shut the open trade down in a state that didn’t enact some fairly heavy taxes & controls.

Get it in 1st, then work with consumers & entrepreneurs over the decades to get the taxes & restrictions down. These things take time, maybe generations.

[Gene]

Regulation of a plant that’s easier to grow than a tomato is pure folly.

It’s not like that ever stopped authority before.

[Paul.]

3 Ways to Not Screw Up Marijuana Legalization

Too late, next article.

[juris imprudent]

I’m moving to PA, but I’ll be close enough to DE and MD to deal with the stupid liquor laws. Better that than the stupid gun laws of MD.

[Paul Pot]

We should still address the alcohol laws.
Their purpose was to prevent alcohol from being a competitive bio-fuel and plastics feed stock.
Control by the fossil fuels industry.
Lets have a revolution.