From: [p--a--l] at [crl.com] (Peter Helyar)
Newsgroups: alt.hemp,alt.drugs
Subject: Re: Drug legalization, possible pragmatic benefits of
Date: 11 Jan 1994 14:45:47 -0800

[b--rd--n] at [netcom.com] (David Borden) writes:
>These are just a few examples of elasticity of demand.  But certain 
>demand is certainly inelastic, or at least changes only very slowly; this 
>is the demand that addicts retain for their drug.

I think there are a few principles that may illuminate this thought.

First, the usage of drugs tends to be concentrated in a small percentage 
of the users. For instance, something like 80% of alcohol consumed in 
this country goes to the 20% of users who drink heavily and/or are 
alcoholics.

The elasticity of demand is very different for these two groups. The 
heavy users exhibit a very low elasticity, while that for the casual 
users can at times make price and availability the primary determinant in 
decisions about drug use.

In addition, the shape of the distribution curve for these behaviors 
varies significantly from one drug to another. Those drugs with the 
greatest addictive potential will, not surprisingly, show the least 
elasticity among heavy users, and very high elasticity among casual 
users. These more addictive drugs may also show very low proportions of 
casual use, especially on a volume basis. In other words, the amount of 
the drug consumed by heavy users or addicts may far outweigh the amount 
consumed casually, even when the number of casual users is much higher. 
Perhaps the best example of this is tobacco. My guess would be that 
something over 99% of the cigarettes smoked in the world are smoked by 
the 25% or so of the world's population who are addicted to the stuff.

Please note that the last sentence is clearly qualified by the words "my 
guess" and as such is to be interpreted as opinion.

For documentation for the rest of this post, please see:

_Pharmacotheon_, by Jonathon Ott

and

_Undoing Drugs_, by Daniel K. Benjamin and Roger Leroy Miller.

Both of these list sources very carefully, especially _Pharmacotheon_, 
which is reputed to have the best extant bibliography on the subject.

Keep the faith.


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