Permit private companies to compete for licenses to cultivate, harvest, manufacture, package and peddle drugs.
Create a new federal regulatory agency (with no apologies to libertarians or paleo-conservatives).
Set and enforce standards of sanitation, potency and purity.
Ban advertising.
Impose (with congressional approval) taxes, fees and fines to be used for drug-abuse prevention and treatment and to cover the costs of administering the new regulatory agency.
Police the industry much as alcoholic-beverage-control agencies keep a watch on bars and liquor stores at the state level. Such reforms would in no way excuse drug users who commit crimes: driving while impaired, providing drugs to minors, stealing an iPod, assaulting one’s spouse, abusing one’s child. The message is simple. Get loaded, commit a crime, do the time.”
Comment & Debate