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Articles

Drugs & Harm

Frederik Kaufman analyses the illegality of drugs.

The state puts enormous resources into curbing the sale, distribution, and use of certain drugs. Why? The obvious answer is to protect citizens from harm: harm to self, and harm to others. Consider first harm to self. Illegal drug users often harm themselves, even though that’s rarely what they intend. They risk violence, unsafe conditions, overdoses, illness, adulterated drugs, arrest, long life-destroying prison sentences, poverty, social censure, unemployment, and more.

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