Guest Column–Martin Hackworth: What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits

The closest thing that I have to a general political philosophy is a strong inclination towards libertarianism. I’m generally big on putting the onus on individuals rather than the government to regulate their personal behavior. Just because I’m not down with something doesn’t necessarily mean that I think that ought to apply to you.

Even though I do not condone either gambling or drug abuse, I’m reluctant to support most bans on these activities. What you do with your life along these lines is mostly your business, at least in my view. Vices have to be bad enough that personal regulation is simply an unworkable solution to a societal problem before I’m for government intervention. The flip side of this is that it’s my belief that if you screw up because you can’t handle your vices, that’s on you. It’s not society’s obligation to bail you out.

But I’m also not at all reluctant to acknowledge that issues such as rampant drug abuse and a seemingly endless propensity for eschewing personal responsibility do pose significant threats to our well-being as a society. We have an interest in at least keeping an eye on what’s going on. And despite my libertarian leanings, I do have some discomfort with the current trends toward legalizing some vices, specifically recreational drug use and gambling. I think that we ought to think long and hard about what lies at the end of the road for both of these activities.

My reasons for eschewing drugs are simple. I have ample and unfortunate first-hand experience with the dangers of drug abuse. I grew up in a household where drugs and alcohol were routinely abused. I spent most of my early years wishing that drugs and alcohol had never been invented. The last thing that I wanted to grow up to be was anything like many of the adults around me as a child.

I am, I must admit, somewhat of a prude. I’ve never even smoked a cigarette, much less a joint. And my alcohol use as an adult was confined to fine bourbon and Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, generally in great moderation, until I gave it all up a few years ago because my kids asked after watching a show on TV about the dangers of alcohol.

I have never found gambling even remotely attractive, except for the occasional office pool. I spent too much time working in casinos back in my sound, stage, and lighting days. The last thing I ever wanted to end up being was a retiree squandering their retirement savings away in a casino. For me, that would be a sad fate worse than death.

But again, that’s just me. If you want to indulge in drugs, alcohol, or gambling, and you can do so without taking the rest of us along for the ride, well, good for you. I’m reluctant to forbid anyone from doing anything just because I think that it’s a bad idea. But I do think that at least some of these activities have an impact on the rest of us, and these impacts may be quite deleterious at times. That means that there is a case to be made for at least paying attention to what’s going on.

Who can deny the impact of impaired driving (and sometimes impaired working) on all of us? Who can deny the impact of the current opiate crisis on our entire country? Who can deny the impact of open drug abuse on joblessness and homelessness and the gutting of entire major cities? It’s just a matter of time before the first major sports gambling scandal in one of the big five pro sports is uncovered, and it’s already happened in college. It’s not like there is no downside to these activities.

Right now, there is a big push to universally legalize marijuana and some psychedelic drugs for personal use. Again, the libertarian in me supports this. But the person who’s lived experience is replete with the downsides of drug abuse has some misgivings. I’ve seen how badly what starts out as a lark can quickly go south.

I think that all of these drugs, especially marijuana, need much more study from dispassionate researchers as opposed to advocates. I’m unconvinced of many claims concerning the benefits of recreational drugs for medicinal purposes. But I could be persuaded with more and better studies.