Last fall I did a three-part series on the economics of the War on Drugs. I showed how completely outlawing hard drugs was a doomed project, but the government could beneficially prosecute hard-drug abusers, forcing them into rehab, punishment or both.
It would be nice, however, if we could reduce excessive hard-drug use preemptively, before abuse reaches levels justifying prosecution. If we could reduce the urge to do hard drugs, we could reduce hard-drug use and abuse without creating a police state.
Such a project is feasible. Currently, little is being done to curb the biggest drug epidemic of all, the epidemic of soft drugs: those respectable drugs commonly ingested multiple times a day, drugs routinely pushed onto our children.
I’m referring, of course, to drug-like foods: chocolate, caffeine,
sugar, high-fructose corn sweeteners, dyes, artificial flavors, charred
meats, toasted cereals, fine-ground flours, deep-fried crunchies and
partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
If you haven’t seen Morgan Spurlock’s documentary “Super Size Me,” rent
it! The film is hilarious, profound, and surprisingly fair. It points
to solutions to drug abuse, poor schools, high crime, and
out-of-control medical costs.
And no, I do not endorse outlawing junk foods or suing McDonald’s. I
believe in personal freedom and despise attempts at ex-post-facto law
via litigation. (I do support a reasonable tax on partially
hydrogenated vegetable oils to make them comparably priced with butter
and tropical oils.)
I do endorse getting the government out of the business of soft-drug
pushing. Public-school meals should be healthy: no cakes, cookies, ice
cream, tater tots, soft drinks, chocolate milk or partially
hydrogenated vegetable oils. Serve healthy meals with low
glycemic-index carbs and the kids will be able to concentrate during
algebra class.
We should apply the same principle to prisons, mental institutions and
public hospitals. What we spend extra on food we get back in reduced
crime, drug abuse and medical bills.
Finally, the government could apply this principle to food stamps. Food
stamps should be redeemable for unprocessed foods only: produce, meat,
milk, and dried beans and grains. If you don’t have a job, you have
time to cook. If you want processed foods, pay for them — and the
resulting medical bills — yourself.
All this is just what the government could do to fight drug abuse. We
can do more as individuals, families, churches, charities and
businesses. Highly processed foods are recreational drugs; treat them
with respect accordingly.
This is not a call for abstention or spartan lifestyles, however. This
is a manifesto for increasing overall pleasure. Real food, lightly
processed, has its own pleasures: subtle tastes, calm alertness, inner
tranquility and improved health. On top of this foundation we can
derive real pleasures from moderate drug use. A single glass of wine in
the evening provides a sufficient buzz if you are relaxed to start
with.
A single cup of coffee provides rocket power — if you have been
caffeine free for several days. A couple of fresh homemade chocolate
chip cookies — with real sugar, butter and vanilla — provide more
pleasure than an entire bag of store-bought cookies.
Optimum drug use is not abuse.
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Carl S. Milsted Jr., former chairman of the Libertarian Party of
Buncombe County, may be contacted at cmilsted-at-holisticpolitics.org.
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