From intro to psych

The question was regarding removing caffeine, alcohol and nicotine from society. should they be banned and what would happen. This is actually the only question for which I have not gotten full points, so i thought I would share my answer with you. I thought it was sort of entertaining at the end.


It’s a darn good thing that the government has declared the “war on drugs.” The use of illicit drugs is nearly non-existant. Drug dealers have to look far and wide for customers. Crime is at an all-time low. The prisons are nearly empty. Teens are less likely to make poor decisions. Illegal smuggling no longer provides tax-free financial support to violent cartels. All the money formerly spent on trying to enforce drug policies has been diverted to feeding poor children. And the Red Sox have won the World Series twice.
OK, the last one is true. But all in all, governmental attempts to curb drug use have been dismal failures. Except for one. The “Don’t Drink and Drive” campaign of the early eighties actually worked. It was simple, specific, and attainable. It changed one very specific behavior and now all sorts of people designate a driver. Even underage kids. So, there are ways to stem harmful elements of illicit behavior.
In a country where alcohol, caffeine and nicotine were illegal, people would still find ways to get what they want. But some things would definitely be different. Take for instance the Halloween party I just went to. People would be standing around drinking bathtub gin and someone would say “Hey, I just got a pack of lights from this guy in Canada. He can get anything, man. The other day, he hooked me up with 20 grams of Folgers, really primo stuff, ya know, real smooth. I think we might have a bag of Earl Grey left from the summer. You wanna go out back and steep some tea? Oh no, I think it’s the cops. Quick, eat all that chocolate. Make sure it melts in your mouth and not in your hands.”