Most of the people who bet on sports or smoke lots of dope are young men. My attitude has been–go for it. Waste your money. Wreck your lives.
A commentary in today’s Times by Charles Fain Lehman makes me question my beliefs. He makes the obvious point that some vices (say drug addiction) are not only bad for the people indulging, but for society at large. He notes that recreational marijuana legalization brings with it declining academic performance, “more fatal car accidents, more homelessness, more hospitalization.” Sports gambling brings with it “increased rates of bankruptcy and ruined credit–particularly among young men.”
I’m still a libertarian on this. You want to wreck your life on gambling–your choice. I am aware, however, that, like smoking, very large corporations have an interest in bringing in more users and suckers. Is there some way to uncouple the marijuana and the sports betting from the profits made by the industries that push them? I’m not sure that’s possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment