Some Intervention Doesn't Make Sense

As I read The Case for Small Government blog post called "Externalities", I realized that just about everything we do affects someone, whether directly, or indirectly, for good or bad. Such a reality makes governments' dilemma of tyring to determine which issues are worthy of their intervention very complicated. The author of the post talks about the negatives that can be associated with alcohol, and his view that drugs should not be prohibited. While I see the harm that alcohol and drugs can cause individuals, and others around them, I still don't feel they should be illegal. Such consumption would not stop with a ban, but would likely spur people to resort to desperate, and often dangerous methods to attain them. That being said however, I wish people would not consume such products. Judgement is impaired, and thus true self-control. It is when that judgement is self-control is distorted that people make stupid decisions that harm others. Rather than banning these products, I think government, and private entities should make educating others' on alcohol and drugs' dangerous affects a priority. While it won't eliminate consumption altogether, I feel it is the best option because the often grim alternatives that could be associated with illegalizing alcohol and drugs altogether could be much more severe, as the author of this mentioned post emphasizes.