I have a theory that we are “addicted” to many things, but because those things are legal, affordable, easily obtainable, etc., we never realize our addiction until we have to do without. Perhaps the “rush of love” is an addiction every bit as powerful as the “rush of narcotics.”  Consider what would happen if the USA outlawed coffee tomorrow. Millions of people who seemingly cannot function without a cup of coffee would start going through withdrawals, would seek coffee from the black market, would pay higher prices for it, etc.  Of course, we already have well-known addictions in the form of cigarettes and, to some degree, alcohol. But if you outlawed them, you’d have the same thing we have with narcotics today. The police would arrest those possessing our using cigarettes/alcohol, you’d have smugglers, crime, etc., due to the demand for these things. And you’d have people arguing that these things ought to be legalized.  In every addiction, there are abusers. There is just no way around this. While many people can enjoy a glass of whiskey each evening in moderation, there are those who have to have much, much more…and who are the ones largely responsible, I imagine, for DUIs.  Same with coffee or what have you. You have some folks that a cup of coffee (or two) in the morning is just wonderful. Then you have the people who drink (as I did one morning in 10th grade), eight cups of coffee before work (I seldom drink coffee, by the way).  I cannot fathom why our country doesn’t think feelings of calm and well-being (euphoria) should be illegal. Oh, I understood it PERFECTLY before I had to take oxycodone and hydrocodone for severe surgical complications. Then I had to HONESTLY wonder why this is such an “evil” when it made me feel so deeply grateful and loving.  Will there be abusers? We’ve already established that. Even with it illegal there are millions of abusers. Would that number go up if it were legal…or would life change? No more dark neighborhood corners, no more crime to buy more (at the premium prices), no more fixating on finding one’s next dose, etc.  Thankfully, I was never addicted to the stuff. But I think I understand why people–especially people in bad situations–do not strive mightily to obtain this little bit of “peace of mind” that comes in pill form.  Why is it illegal? I am convinced that if you follow the money, you will find out. Drug dealers WANT it illegal (they’re out of business otherwise). The police WANT it illegal (why? job security).  Go to a crime-ridden neighborhood and spray it with oxycodone mist…and crime is going to go away as people start feeling differently. But we apparently don’t want that.  I know that sounds all conspiratorial. And as a lifelong Republican/conservative, believe me, I once would have said the same thing. Until I realized that such feelings, if they can be obtained, ought to be legal, cheap, and safe.  Why do you think poor places have such problems with Meth? Do you think it’s because these folks have it all together and are just playing around? No, they are under some tremendous burdens. Drugs offer some relief.
When I asked my students for examples of diminishing marginal utility, one wiseguy freshman stated, "Time with my girlfriends after a relationship of five months-I drop them after that." (I should have told him that it's hard to distinguish quits from layoffs, but I wasn't fast enough on my feet!)