While overall crime dropped in the commonwealth, the number of murders rose last year, by more than 58 percent. There were 405 in 2019, and that number jumped to 640 in 2020.
Drug offenses made up more than 1 in 5 arrests in Kentucky, the most of any crime. A criminologist at the University of Kentucky said the pandemic just exacerbated a problem the state was already struggling with.
I know that I am a bit naive, but if we just got rid of drug laws, perhaps that would stop much of the drug crimes. We actually have precedent to look to. Prohibition led to men like Al Capone and Bugsy Siegel, Lucky Luciano, all capitalizing on the illegal status of alcohol. When the sale of alcohol became legal once again, the mobsters influence started to fade.
ReplyDeleteI can only suspect that with the legalization of drugs, the cost of the illicit drugs would fall, making petty theft to pay for them also fade, as the need to steel to pay for high priced drugs would no longer be necessary, since many of the opioids are actually quite inexpensive to make.
Of course, since many of the politicians get money from "legitimate" businesses that have a very large stake in illegal drug sales, it is unlikely that change will ever come.
Nope. Even if you legalize it, people will still kill, steal, fight, rob, burgle, carjack in order to get either the product or money for the product.
DeleteAnd if you think legalizing it would drop the price, well, how much is legal weed in California and Colorado vs street weed?
Exactly, Beans.
DeleteDid not read the story as I expect that average is everywhere.
ReplyDelete