Candy As A Gateway Drug

Lynne Kiesling

Been really busy lately with the day job, but I didn’t want to miss Dave Weigel’s Reason Hit & Run post on candy as a gateway drug:

High school rules banning sweet stuff have created a lucrative and illicit trade for sucrose. Who could have predicted it?

Why is it so difficult for people with a fire in their bellies to ban things to see the unintended consequences? Is the problem that they don’t give people enough credit for creativity, or are they themselves so unimaginative that they can’t foresee something this obvious?

I mean, sheesh, I revile excessive consumption of refined sugars as much as (or more than) the next person, but this is really ludicrous! Both morally and practically, such a ban is so wrong on so many levels.

UPDATE: Ron Bailey adds his aspersions on a complementary effort, banning soda.