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Dynamics of Intervention in the War on Drugs

Originally published in The Independent Review

This paper uses a dynamic model of interventionism to show that state and federal legislation passed in the late 19th century produced unintended consequences that ultimately led to the passage of the Harrison Act.

The economics literature cites the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914 as the start of the War on Drugs. With few exceptions, the literature fails to explain the dynamic nature of interventionism. This paper uses a dynamic model of interventionism to show that state and federal legislation passed in the late 19th century produced unintended consequences that ultimately led to the passage of the Harrison Act.

Find the article online at The Independent Review.

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