The Deadly Consequences of Sex Laws

Libertarians have emphasized how morality laws — loved by the Right — much like economic interventions — loved by the Left — have unintended consequences. Alcohol Prohibition fueled the Mob, led to people dying from “rot gut gin,” increased violence on the streets, and even made drinking chic.

The war on drugs results in gang and gun violence in the inner cities as they fight it out with one another for territory. Now and then the Drug Warriors sweep in and execute innocent people because they are too stupid to find the right house.

Recently I saw a 60 Minutes report on the pot industry in California which was clueless about why the legal industry has problems. They seemed to think it was mostly the fault of “black market dealers” even as they listed all the regulations and taxes that stifle the legal industry. Regulations made it worse, and the black market dealers are the result, not the cause. One clear sign of over-regulation is the existence of black markets. Instead of damning them we should see them as the symptoms which warn us of a sick system.

In 1960s New York it was a criminal offense to serve alcohol to a gay person! The result was the mob came in and opened bars catering to them, they were the only group rich enough and violent enough to compete with the police. But they used clubs, such as the Stonewall Inn, to rip…