I have a friend who describes himself as an anarcho-capitalist libertarian. He believes in total individual freedom He calls speed bumps “Commie humps,” scoffs at speed limits, and thinks any type of government intervention in the lives of citizens is unnecessary at best — and evil at worst.
He believes there should be nothing standing in the way of transactions between consenting adults. No borders. No taxes. No tariffs. No monetary exchange rates. What an adult chooses to do with their own body is nobody’s business but their own — and certainly not that of any government bureaucracy.
The only law that matters, he says, is supply and demand. Capitalism in its purest form. So it came as no surprise when, during a recent conversation, he dropped his solution to the narco-related gang violence currently rocking both coasts of Costa Rica.
“Just legalize it,” he said.
“Legalize cocaine?” I asked.
“All of it,” he answered. “Cocaine mainly — but also fentanyl, meth, and whatever new designer drug comes next.” I laughed.
“Just getting marijuana legalized has been a twenty-year war. Good luck. You want to create a nation of zombies?” He shrugged.
“We need to overthrow all nanny states. Consenting adults don’t need self-appointed monitors looking over their shoulders. Personal responsibility is the key.” I laughed again.
“Meth-heads? Crack-heads? People on three-day booger-sugar benders? Those people take responsibility for their lives?” He shrugged again.
“Those who choose to use will be expected to do so responsibly. If they can’t handle it and start causing disturbances for the rest of us… they lose their freedom privileges.”
“So you would lock them up?” I asked. “How do you do that without government?”
“Addiction would be treated as a health issue, not a criminal one,” he said. “If they commit crimes against others while high — then they go to jail. Rehab centers and jails are the only two places I’d grudgingly accept outside the marketplace.”
“Well there goes your anarcho-capitalist dream,” I said.
“Not really.” He then leaned in on what he sees as the core issue:
“The government treats drugs — which are simply a matter of supply and demand — as something that can be solved with military action. They blame the vendor, but never the user.”
He gave an analogy that actually stuck:
“When my friend died of cirrhosis after years of heavy drinking, would it have made sense for me to bomb distilleries, torch wineries, or poison the water supply? Should I have burned down his favorite bar? Of course not.” Attacking the supplier doesn’t solve the problem.
He brought up William Burroughs, the beat writer and legendary heroin addict:
“Burroughs called it The Pyramid. The only way to destroy the pyramid is to remove the base — the users. Producers and dealers are replaceable. Users with a daily need are not. As long as demand exists, someone will always rise to meet it.”
I had to concede. “You make a strong case,” I told him. “You’d destroy people in a debate. But good luck ever making it reality.”
