Quote:
Originally Posted by Azure
Alcohol does more societal harm than guns do.
Why don't we ban it?
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Not sure it's that easy to make direct comparisons.
Social harm does need to be weighed against social benefit.
Example does that volume of economic development supported by our transportation infrastructure justify highway deaths? sadly the answer is a resounding yes.
Does the rest and relaxation / social lubrication brought by drugs/alcohol justify with harms created (how many fewer people in the worlds labour force would there be without a few good drinks, a little
social lubrication goes a long way
).
You'd also need to weigh it against the harms created by prohibition. In societies that have become very restrictive regarding guns we have largely seen the intended benefits, while with Alcohol prohibition has brought on some pretty undesirable secondary effects.