So, if government passes a law designed to change behavior and fails, what do they do? If they spend literally millions of dollars; crime increases drastically, formerly law-abiding citzens are arrested by the thousands; police and citizens are killed in the hundreds; and the actual activity that is banned increases; what should government do?
It's been 33 years now since prohibition was repealed. Government realized that it was a horrible idea that cost too much in crime, money, and lives.
Yet today, the other prohibition continues, despite the exact same results. If the war on drugs can be considered successful, we should bring back prohibition of alcohol. Either that or end the war on drugs. But hey, what's a few billion each year in government expenditures and hundreds of deaths each year when it comes to government retaining control and power, right?
Drug prohibition "works" if you define "works" the right way. In particular, if you define "works" as "creates hundreds of thousands of jobs for drug cops and bureaucrats, justifies draconian laws that destroy all privacy and property rights, and will go on forever because the overt aim is one that most people kinda-sorta agree with yet can never be achieved," then drug prohibition is a stunning success.
Always ask "Who benefits?" before concluding that some seemingly irrational government policy isn't "working."
Oh, yes, I have no doubt that those that support this program like it for what it does and it serves the purpose for which it was designed. They're just not telling the people who are PAYING for this system why the system exists.
I can't wait for tobacco prohibition.
I should stock up on cigarettes now so that I can open my own smoke-easy :-)
Get to plantin' some tobacco. And actually, before we get there, I'm sure you can get the government to pay you NOT to grow tobacco...I'm not sure how that works out when tobacco prohibition starts...do they then pay you TO grow tobacco?