Second, legalization would generate revenues for the public sector, similar to the 80% levy for a pack of cigarettes and 60% for whiskey. Third, to legalize narcotics pragmatically and incrementally, the established regulatory regimes for alcohol and tobacco could be replicated with licensed sales outlets and minimum ages for purchase. In many cases, such as with the drug ecstasy, licensing manufacturers could ensure purity and quality (The Economist 1997a).
Fourth, we could recommend drug treatment programs as an alternative to prison sentencing. But how effective is this in controlling drug use and abuse? Program evaluation studies have been conducted since the early 1970s, and the success of the Swiss example after two years was cited above. Various forms of treatment programs have been shown to succeed in reducing drug use and forms of antisocial behavior that are out growths of drug use. The reduction in costs to society of drug-related crime is much greater than the cost of treatment programs. Drug treatment is cost effective in that it can minimize jail overcrowding in existing prisons and reduce the capital outlays for new ones (Mieczkowski et al 992,347)