In Economics, the principle of opportunty cost states that the cost of something is the value of other foregone opportunities.
Example-You went to the movies this afternoon. You could have exercised, worked, mowed the lawn etc. Those missed opportunities are opportunity costs.
The War on Drugs has opportunity costs also. Every law enforcement resource wasted on Prohibition can not be used on anything else.
This leads me to the case of Roy Acthinson, a federal prosecutor who was recently arrested for trying to buy the right to have sex with a five year old. Roy specialized in asset forfeiture, or glorified stealing for the government.
All the time Roy and other federal prosecutors spent hunting drug dealers and users were not spent on hunting sicko child sex perverts, like Roy.
Everytime you see another huge drug bust, or another drug dog on the side of the road ask yourself this- Is this drug bust worth not pursuring murderers, rapists, terrorists, or child molestors?
With prohibition that is the choice we are making. The Drug Enforcement Admininstration has 11,000 employees. The Child Molestor Administration and Murder Administration have zero.
Opportunity costs, the price we all pay for failed prohibition.
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