If the argument of earlier chapters is correct, then prohibition backed by criminal penalties is generally an inappropriate approach to the regulation of adult vice activity. What are some potential alternatives? In this chapter, I examine policies less restrictive than prohibition that can contribute to workable and robust regulatory regimes.

THE POLICY HUCKSTER

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen. Concerned about violent crime? Unsafe sex practiced by teenagers? Suicide? Cancer? Yes, there are troubles aplenty out there, enough to lead to despair. But don't abandon hope, folks. All of your worries can be addressed through one simple policy, contained right here in this little bottle. Now I'll probably catch some flak from headquarters for telling you the secret ingredient, but what the heck, we're all friends, right? The key to solving your troubles lies in raising the excise tax on alcohol.

Don't believe me? Well, you don't have to take my word for it. The evidence is all laid out in the leading scientific journals in the world. Read them at your leisure, but the bottom line is that to relieve a vast variety of your social ills, higher alcohol taxes are just the ticket.

THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL FOR A “SIN TAX”: THE CASE OF ALCOHOL

Hucksters don't always lie, even if they embellish the truth a bit. Alcohol taxation really does alleviate a variety of problems.