

The Rise and Fall of the Biggest Pot Dealer in New York City History - ojbyrne
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/07/nyregion/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-biggest-pot-dealer-in-new-york-city-history.html

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mynameishere
An okay story. But it seems like it's just some douche upon whom the
government blew 10 million dollars (give or take) to put in a cage. I'm pretty
sure those Indians can keep snowmobiling across the border with their bales of
marijuana. I'm pretty sure there are still Hell's Angels who have trucking
jobs.

If weed is fully legalized, maybe they'll invent some more interesting Al
Capone-types to romanticize the era.

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a8da6b0c91d
The drug war is clearly a farce because of the focus on dealers. If there was
a serious desire to reduce usage we know full well from history what "works."
You very severely punish anybody caught with stuff, regardless of "intent to
distribute."

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dubfan
You're right that the drug war is a farce, but your reasoning is wrong.
Altering consciousness is never going away, even with steep penalties. All
that accomplishes is making the externalities of drug law enforcement even
more severe.

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a8da6b0c91d
You're ignoring the externalities of drug usage. The question becomes whether
the externalities of prohibition exceed those of junkie fuckups in your
extended family and community. I'm pretty libertarian overall about this stuff
but you have to be in denial to fail to notice that a large fraction of the
population cannot handle their drugs and alcohol. Drug users frequently ruin
families and neighborhoods.

Consider, for example, that both Trayvon and Michael Brown were high on
marijuana when they made decisions that lead to their deaths and ensuing
hugely expensive social disturbances. If you care to step out of your upper
middle class bubble, it is not at all crazy to suggest that cannabis does in
fact have huge negative externalities.

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Fishkins
I'm all for considering externalities, your examples are terrible, especially
Trayvon. It's arguable whether he did anything wrong, and it's also quite
possible he wasn't high at the time[0]. Even if he was high and was aggressive
once Zimmerman started following him, there are more important factors in the
disturbance than how Trayvon acted.

0 -
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Trayvon_Martin#Coun...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Trayvon_Martin#County_medical_examiner.27s_autopsy_report)

