Comments on: Natalism, Alcoholism, & Public Health http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/09/natalism_alcoho_1.html The Law, the Universe, and Everything Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:44:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: M. Simon http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/09/natalism_alcoho_1.html/comment-page-1#comment-52313 M. Simon Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:48:42 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/09/natalism-alcoholism-public-health.html#comment-52313 Also note: the excess of boys is NOT due to reproductive choices. It is due to people's dependence on agriculture for sustenance. (Plus customs and culture left over from the agricultural age). This is especially true in China with its one child policy. Even so. With a shortage of women, their value will rise. Also note: the excess of boys is NOT due to reproductive choices. It is due to people’s dependence on agriculture for sustenance. (Plus customs and culture left over from the agricultural age).

This is especially true in China with its one child policy.

Even so. With a shortage of women, their value will rise.

]]> By: M. Simon http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/09/natalism_alcoho_1.html/comment-page-1#comment-52312 M. Simon Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:41:06 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/09/natalism-alcoholism-public-health.html#comment-52312 People drink in Russia because it is a depressing place. A better solution would get people to grow their own anti-depressants: <a href="http://powerandcontrol.blogspot.com/2006/04/ptsd-and-endocannabinoid-system.html" rel="nofollow">PTSD and the Endocannabinoid System</a>. BTW tobacco is an anti-depressant; it fouls the lungs. Pot clears them and also has anti-tumor properties. A better deal. Why not the same thing for America? Can you imagine all the interests that would be harmed by such a policy? Doctors, lawyers, prison guards, pharmacists, judges, etc. There is an awful lot of money to be made by putting depressives, PTSD sufferers, and the mentally ill in jail. Note that when most Americans were farmers we had a huge per capita alcohol consumption. Farm life must not have been as bucolic as Currier and Ives presented it. People drink in Russia because it is a depressing place.

A better solution would get people to grow their own anti-depressants:

PTSD and the Endocannabinoid System.

BTW tobacco is an anti-depressant; it fouls the lungs. Pot clears them and also has anti-tumor properties. A better deal.

Why not the same thing for America? Can you imagine all the interests that would be harmed by such a policy? Doctors, lawyers, prison guards, pharmacists, judges, etc. There is an awful lot of money to be made by putting depressives, PTSD sufferers, and the mentally ill in jail.

Note that when most Americans were farmers we had a huge per capita alcohol consumption. Farm life must not have been as bucolic as Currier and Ives presented it.

]]> By: Matt http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/09/natalism_alcoho_1.html/comment-page-1#comment-52311 Matt Fri, 21 Sep 2007 05:21:59 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/09/natalism-alcoholism-public-health.html#comment-52311 My understanding is that the only time that life expectancy for men in Russia has gone up over the last 30 years or so was during the time of the so-called "dry laws" put in place by Gorbachev. This was so even despite a lot of deaths due to bad home-made alcohol. (The situation for women is rather different.) But, these laws were also massively unpopular and helped contribute to both Gorbachev's eventual downfall and also to his inability to push reform that might have lead to a more stable end to the soviet union so no one is seriously considering anything like them again. (The laws didn't bad alcohol like prohibition in the US but put strong limits on how much could be bought at a time.) My understanding is that the only time that life expectancy for men in Russia has gone up over the last 30 years or so was during the time of the so-called “dry laws” put in place by Gorbachev. This was so even despite a lot of deaths due to bad home-made alcohol. (The situation for women is rather different.) But, these laws were also massively unpopular and helped contribute to both Gorbachev’s eventual downfall and also to his inability to push reform that might have lead to a more stable end to the soviet union so no one is seriously considering anything like them again. (The laws didn’t bad alcohol like prohibition in the US but put strong limits on how much could be bought at a time.)

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