War on drugs

Just a little reflecting on the "War on Drugs", like Penn and Teller's program at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HCNKMQR1yg Penn and Teller's Bullsh*t - The War on Drugs Pt 1

I can't help have mixed feelings. I can an authoritarian or libertarian view. I despise a world where people can make a living depending on the misery and suffering of others through their addictions. But how much does suppression really help? And could regulation do more than criminalization? Certainly putting more and more people in jail as small time dealers, its a costly response. And black markets still exist, and high profits can simply bribe their way to keep their power, and WORSE governments themselves can profit from black market drug trades for undemocratic uses of power.

I guess it is amazing that tobacco and alcohol survive as well as they do as legal trade with such high "sin taxes", surprised there's not more black market sales than there is.

I've heard drugs like marijuana are much more powerful now than before. I don't expect illegal sales are responsible for this, but basically recognize prices for drug effects are surely cheaper than ever now.

For marijuana specifically, I accept the argument that criminalization is rather useless policy now, seems better to regulate and tax it, even if I don't see how. I wonder what effect it would have - would small-time growers decrease, or expand? Would prices rise? At least taxes could help raise prices, and fund drug programs. I don't know if driving under the influence is harder to detect for marijuana than alcohol, don't even know if a person can be arrested for this.

I guess heroin is the other "natural" drug used somewhat widely. And cocaine perhaps even more. Regulation still seems more important, even if I can't see what is best.

I can think of my brother, who died, if not directly, indirectly from drug use, including Meth usage. He said in one honest moment - the time he felt the best was when he was using the most drugs. I mean he meant it to suggest he really believed the drug made life better, and he was on top of everything. Scary reality.

When I try my high-minded "save the world" thoughts - environment, peak oil, world peace, economic justice, or whatever, I neglect so much darkness others know more than me, and the desire to escape.

I pretty much limit my intake vices to food - fighting the easy "relief" to stress in junk food, elementary school issues - and short term tummy ache is immeidiate consequence, and longer term in poorer nutrition, and longest getting overweight if I find I can't compensate by exercise in the future as now. It's about all I can handle for vices, and I'm glad drugs are not in my life.

I don't know who could be in a serious debate on which drugs could be used legally for "recreational use". Sure, I wish I could be a libertarian for adult choices. My brother if he was alive might still say Meth usage in moderation made his life better, and others can say the same on cocaine.

Grr.... scares the hell out of me. Ignorance is one thing, but people will still harm their health willingly for a little relief in drugs, knowing every educational fact presented to them.

Overall criminalization for selling things people want seems hopeless. Regulation is more hopeful. At minimum it would be good for taxes to cover perceived economic costs to drug usage.

I'm not hopeful much at all, so outside my domain or passion, just sympathy.