Methamphetamine is an even better 'investment' than cocaine

Posted Oct 24th 2007 2:38PM by Jonathan Berr
Filed under: Law, Rants and Raves, Google (GOOG), Politics

When I wrote last week that cocaine prices rose at a faster rate than the Dow Jones industrial average, I overlooked something: methamphetamine may be an even better "investment" than cocaine, when compared with the index. Marijuana isn't doing too shabby either.

According to data on the DEA's website, the average price per pure gram of all domestic methamphetamine soared 37% between January and June 2007, beating the 24% gain in cocaine, and eclipsing the broad market index, which rose about 7% during that same time.

I wasn't able to find comparable data for marijuana but did come across an interesting story from Bloomberg News saying that prices for marijuana in Holland have soared 20% because of an increase in police raids. So any college students planning a trip to Europe should take note. U.S. pot prices have climbed over the last few years, according to the folks at High Times. I'll update this post if I get more information.

Does this mean that people should dump their Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) shares and set up a crystal meth lab or start growing weed? Of course not.

As Mr. Mackey from South Park says, "Drugs are bad." They're bad for your health and bad for society. People should just say no to drugs, but they don't and that's the problem. Prohibition didn't stop people from drinking in the '20s, and isn't stopping people from getting high today. My argument is that if we decriminalize drugs, the government can tax them and use that money to treat addicts.

Legalization is no utopia, but given the failure of the War on Drugs, it seems like it's worth a try.

Tags: cocaine, crystal meth, CrystalMeth, DEA, drug market, DrugMarket, illegal drugs, IllegalDrugs, meth, methamphetamine, war on drugs, WarOnDrugs

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

10-24-2007 @ 3:24PM

Carl B. Sullivan, Jr. said...

Great idea. What's your solution to our over-crowded prisions (particularly in my State, California): the legalization of murder or paying bounties on the scalps of those we don't like. Better yet, turn it over to NBC. Those fools will no doubt come up with something creative like the Mexican Mafia v. [insert the socio-economic class you hate most]. The killing season could end just before the Super Bowl, and NBC could host the Gladiator Bowl. The bottom line is I've never had seats on the fity-yard line at the Rose Bowl, and now that I'm about to turn sixty-five, I want'm, and I think I'm entitled to them. After all, I am member of a "suspect class," namely, the WASP/C/&J's of the United States of America. For sometime now, we've been #1 on more than just a couple of other classes' "hit parades." They say that we are evil, whereas they are good. They say that they are going to rule the world. Hilter, Stalin and Atilla the Hun said the same thing, did they not?

10-24-2007 @ 6:36PM

beanspants said...

Seems to me like the increased regulation (police raids) and extreme volatility (gold chains and dubs if you successfully sell, $0; prison if you don't) make drugs not terribly comparable to the DOW, but rather to penny stocks.

Based on the A&E show Intervention, i think i'll take my chances with something safer and more fun than either drugs or penny stocks: casino gambling.

10-25-2007 @ 4:32PM

Jennifer said...

Exile drug lords to the Moon and Mars. Chain gang them and make them work in a penal colony building cities...just like in Australia at the turn of the century. Worked then, should work now. All you need is a few Darth Vader prison commandos to control the pack. Why should tax payers shoulder the burden of paying to keep each prisoner alive at $40,000 per head, annually. I say make them work for it, enough of this rehab b.s. Space...the penal frontier. Spock would be proud. Beam me up Scottie, too many villains on this planet. 169 moons and counting...

10-25-2007 @ 4:31PM