America Has Gone Too Far in Legalizing Vice

This attitude—that anyone who falls into gambling addiction has only themselves to blame—has allowed state lawmakers to ignore arguments that more access to gambling might make it easier for people to lose control. Similarly, when marijuana legalization is debated, supporters emphasize how the responsible use of marijuana might alleviate the pain of those suffering from incurable diseases. In 19 states, the recreational use of marijuana is now fully legal; all other states allow medicinal use of cannabis products. [Stephen Marchin: America’s gambling addiction is metastasizing]These debates expose a conflict over what we believe about virtue and vice. People often point to the historical example of Prohibition in America to prove that overregulation of vice carries its own dangers.