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Is heroin addiction economically rational?

  2. khsing
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This opinion from Slate brings into consideration the idea that addiction is rational, at least from an economist's perspective, since the choice to engage in addictive behavior is a choice made with knowledge of the circumstances and then deciding that the benefits outweigh the costs. What the story fails to really expand upon is that such an argument is a basis for arguing towards the legalization of all drugs. Good or bad idea?
khsing

8 responses // Is heroin addiction economically rational?

  • Theoretically...
    I had the misfortune of having to pick apart Becker/Murphy's "Theory of Rational Addiction" paper in econ last year, and this article trivializes it quite a bit. Sure, in theory a thief might think it's "rational" to steal, given that he does not want to get caught. But compared to the rest of society, that thief's level of rationality is pretty low, since most people typically think it's rational not to steal. In the end, it's all theoretical, and that's pretty hard to extrapolate into the real world when you're face-to-face with a junkie, trying to tell him to keep doing what he's doing because it's rational. I'd love to see Professor Becker try and explain his theory to some of Chicago's addicts.
    zoso1001
  • Sure, deciding whether stealing is right or wrong is, on its most basic level, a yes/no proposition, while deciding what Sure, deciding whether stealing is right or wrong is, on its most basic level, a yes/no proposition, while deciding what – out of thousands of potential substances one can be addicted to – one should be allowed and disallowed to be addicted to is a much larger variable. One could argue if it's rational to allow one kind of addiction, then others should be allowed since the act is itself then considered rational.
    khsing
  • what is considered rational?
    You could say the reason that drugs are illegal is because they cause people to do highly irrational things, like kill people and steal money. I mean, they're not illegal because so many are incredibly harmful to the human body. So then you get into who gets to decide what is "rational behavior".

    In a perfect world, people would only do what is considered "rational" behavior, but that's a different concept to each person. I will often stay in bed 20 minutes longer than I should even though it makes far more sense to get up and have more time to get ready for work. People often side with what they WANT to do, not what they NEED to do.

    I don't think anyone is "allowing" any kind of addiction, but rather judging each one by the effects it has on the person and society. The addiction is allowed only if the substance is allowed. It's acceptable to be addicted to coffee or sugar, not acceptable if it's heroin or meth. But people don't think in those terms.
    hollyg
  • But surely there are plenty of illegal drug users who are not harming society as individuals. And I'm not talking about the economics of the illegal drug trade, but rather if they themselves are directly hurting others because of their drug use.
    khsing
  • those damn druggies
    I kid with my title, of course.

    And yes, absolutely I'd say most drug users are not harming anyone but themselves. By this I mean physically; even smoking pot ain't great on the body. Unfortunately, the current thinking goes that if PCP is going to make you go insane and scratch someone's face off, then pot just might too. Is it stupid? Of course it is.
    hollyg
  • I think that this is reducing addiction to a rational choice, while I feel that the first time you choose to get high is ultimately a rational choice, once the drugs [yes, even coffee] is in your system, then it becomes less of a choice and the highs don't outweigh the lows. The rationality argument is also a hard one to define
    sarahbelle
  • I wholly disagree with this article. To simplify the many reasons a person could have for trying a drug for the first time, and then subsequently continuing to do that drug until addiction takes hold, is an irrational argument. A whole host of factors go into a person's decision to take drugs, from mental state, emotional well being, economic / social disadvantage OR advantage, peer / community use, and on and on. Every choice in life is not simple a yes or no decision, and to reduce it as such by throwing around the word 'rationality' takes away the very complex elements of will power, decision-making, and self-control that humans struggle with in every choice they make.
    shirin88
  • Agreed w/ Shirin. :)
    zoso1001

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