Just Say No...to Sudafed?

You really have to read this to believe it:

Anti-Meth Law Roils Drugstores

My adopted home state of Georgia isn't exactly renowned for vision or forward thinking but this reads like something from The Onion. Here is a microcosm of the machinations of the State: menace the populace with phantom bogeymen, propose a political "solution," and then endlessly ratchet up spending and regulations despite the policy's obvious failure. The positive feedback loop is the State in a nutshell. Wash, rinse, repeat. Limiting access to Sudafed will inconvenience thousands of Georgians but will have no impact whatsoever on the production of methamphetamines.

What other enterprise besides government can get away with being so contemptibly ineffective, and yet still survive? Will this law curb demand for drugs? No. Will this law harm production of methamphetamines? Not really. It may temporarily inconvenience a few drug producers but they will still get their Sudafed. Or perhaps they will create new strains out of more accessible ingredients, creating even deadlier drugs. But it's not like the State to consider the Law of Unintended Consequences. It just wants to appear to be "doing something," or "tough on crime." Even in the best case scenario, meth producers will likely add a "Sudafed acquisition premium," meaning the State has just helped drive up the drug's price, making it more profitable. Good work.

Meanwhile, we are forced to endure countless inanities and intrusions like restricted sales of Sudafed, property seizure/forfeitures, mandatory minimums, no-knock raids, etc. -- all under the rubric of an unwinnable and destructive "War on Drugs."

Where will this silliness end? Maybe Georgia can ban baggies next because people store weed in them...