Taken from JRE #2037 w/Alex Berenson:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0haulCcRb4r3qmQLYLQoPN?si=0ce69f18f0cd4426

To go back to where we started today, there's nothing that's worse for parenting than kids there's nothing that's worse for parenting than parents of young children being using drugs.

Whether the drug is alcohol, cannabis, or meth, or heroin, it is terrible for parenting.

And I don't know how you stop that, but 1 of the things when you consider whether you're going to set up a world where drug use is sort of allowed, slash encouraged, slash commercialized, is the effect on young kids?

And, you know, as a person who believes that freedom is 1 of the most important things.

I also come from a perspective where, you know, I'm in a different place in life than I was when I was 20.

And what would I be like when I was 20 if heroin was legal?

What would I be like if cocaine was legal?

And there's a reality that if you open the gates now and you say, now all of these drugs are illegal, we're gonna regulate them, and the way to stop fentanyl coming in in these tainted cocaine is to sell pure cocaine, and it'd actually be better for everybody.

I don't think the problem is the tainted drugs.

I think the problem is that drugs just eat people.

But what I was about to say is, if you did do that, you would undeniably have a certain amount of people that are going to get addicted that never would, a certain amount of people that were gonna lose their lives that never would, a certain amount of violent actions, car accidents, people on meth and heroin and drugs and coke and they're gonna do wild shit.

And people are super unpredictable when they're fucked up on drugs, and you're gonna have real problems.

But would more people do it if it was legal?

So we just have to sacrifice a whole generation to learn?

You ever go to Europe and see, like kids are allowed to drink wine in Italy.

So they don't, there's like, there are instances of alcoholism and it's not a big deal to them for us It's a big deal.

Like I remember the first time I got drunk with my friends.

We were listening to Led Zeppelin So my friend Jimmy and it was like it was like we were like 15 years old 14 15 years old and I got sick in a cab like the whole thing.

Like they get their kids acclimated to it.

Like you don't let them drink but they're allowed to have a sip of

Don't think of it as like some forbidden fruit that you can't wait to get to get fucked up on.

But even with you know adults we know that even with adults that have you know reasonable ways of approaching every other aspect of their life, some of them can't have a drink.

They get fucking gerbilized and they're gone.

And it's a good question, but it's a question that unfortunately There's so many pros and cons of both sides and the con of both side is crazy because you're empowering a gigantic Criminal enterprise

That was the thing that was going on in America.

They didn't stop people from drinking whiskey, but they stopped them from drinking good whiskey.

They were making moonshine, and that was what NASCAR was created for.

They developed hot rod cars to run away from cops and they said, you know, we should race these motherfuckers Circle I mean That's literally how NASCAR started.

But it's just, there's no 1 perfect answer.

There's no 1 thing we say, you know what, if we do this, we'll have 0 deaths and everyone's going to be peaceful and the world's going to be a utopia.

No, but, and I'm not suggesting this, okay, but if you have a regime that is really strict on drug use you don't have much drug use I mean, I'm talking about I'm talking about like like Saudi Arabia And and that would never fly here, and I don't think it's a good idea.

But this idea that you can't culturally and societally lower the levels of drug use is not true.

It's just a question of the price you pay.

Right, But isn't that the thing about like peace as well?

Like as long as you're willing to have like like who is the was it the was the who's the was it the president of the Philippines?

I wouldn't recommend it, but I bet it worked to a certain extent.

No, but so there's just this idea, the drug legalization lobby has very successfully argued that basically you can't manage the amount of drug use in a society.

You just have to manage the consequences and that is demonstrably untrue.

Here's another like drinking and driving used to be pretty societally acceptable and now it's not acceptable.

I mean people still sometimes do it but levels are way down

Have you ever seen that video from when they first started telling people you can't have an open beer in your car?

No, see if you can find that video Jamie.

I think it's from the 1970s and this lady's like basically we're becoming communists This guy's like you work all day it'd be nice you could have a beer on your way home.

These people are advocating for openly drinking in their cars.

You can change that behavior and attitudes.

That's a wild 1 that people want to be able to just fucking booze it up while they're driving.

Drinking and driving here is viewed by some as downright undemocratic.

in your truck and at least run 1 or 2 beers.

I've been doing vlogs where you can't drink when you

You have to wear a seatbelt when you're driving and pretty soon we're going to be communist country.

That's when Trump got his first light bulb.

That guy, I didn't even, like his accent, I underdid it.


Speaker 0: The Joe Rogan Experience

Speaker 1: To go back to where we started today, there's nothing that's worse for parenting than kids there's nothing that's worse for parenting than parents of young children being using drugs. Whether the drug is alcohol, cannabis, or meth, or heroin, it is terrible for parenting. I mean, it leads to abuse and neglect. It leads to poverty. It leads to terrible outcomes.

And I don't know how you stop that, but 1 of the things when you consider whether you're going to set up a world where drug use is sort of allowed, slash encouraged, slash commercialized, is the effect on young kids?

Speaker 2: It's a really good question. And, you know, as a person who believes that freedom is 1 of the most important things. I also come from a perspective where, you know, I'm in a different place in life than I was when I was 20. And what would I be like when I was 20 if heroin was legal? What would I be like if cocaine was legal?

What would I have done? And there's a reality that if you open the gates now and you say, now all of these drugs are illegal, we're gonna regulate them, and the way to stop fentanyl coming in in these tainted cocaine is to sell pure cocaine, and it'd actually be better for everybody.

Speaker 1: I don't believe that. I truly don't believe it. I don't think the problem is the tainted drugs. I think the problem is that drugs just eat people.

Speaker 2: I think there's both of those things. But what I was about to say is, if you did do that, you would undeniably have a certain amount of people that are going to get addicted that never would, a certain amount of people that were gonna lose their lives that never would, a certain amount of violent actions, car accidents, people on meth and heroin and drugs and coke and they're gonna do wild shit. And people are super unpredictable when they're fucked up on drugs, and you're gonna have real problems. And that's also true. But would more people do it if it was legal?

I think you're right. I think more people would try it. But eventually not.

Speaker 1: So we just have to sacrifice a whole generation to learn?

Speaker 2: You ever go to Europe and see, like kids are allowed to drink wine in Italy. So they don't, there's like, there are instances of alcoholism and it's not a big deal to them for us It's a big deal. Like I remember the first time I got drunk with my friends. We were listening to Led Zeppelin So my friend Jimmy and it was like it was like we were like 15 years old 14 15 years old and I got sick in a cab like the whole thing. Yeah.

But it was getting alcohol was crazy. If you live in Europe, it's normal. Like they get their kids acclimated to it. Like you don't let them drink but they're allowed to have a sip of

Speaker 1: alcohol. Sure.

Speaker 2: Have a little it's not that big a deal.

Speaker 1: Right.

Speaker 2: Don't think of it as like some forbidden fruit that you can't wait to get to get fucked up on. Yes. But even with you know adults we know that even with adults that have you know reasonable ways of approaching every other aspect of their life, some of them can't have a drink.

Speaker 1: That's right.

Speaker 2: They can't. They can't do it. They get fucking gerbilized and they're gone. You know, you know those guys.

Speaker 1: Yes, of course.

Speaker 2: Those are real people too. And what do we do about that? And it's a good question, but it's a question that unfortunately There's so many pros and cons of both sides and the con of both side is crazy because you're empowering a gigantic Criminal enterprise

Speaker 1: that is yes,

Speaker 2: that's crazy. And that was the prohibition. That was the thing that was going on in America. They didn't stop people from drinking whiskey, but they stopped them from drinking good whiskey. They were making moonshine, and that was what NASCAR was created for.

They were trying to run away from cops.

Speaker 1: Those boys, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: They developed hot rod cars to run away from cops and they said, you know, we should race these motherfuckers Circle I mean That's literally how NASCAR started. It's kind of amazing. But it's just, there's no 1 perfect answer. There's no 1 thing we say, you know what, if we do this, we'll have 0 deaths and everyone's going to be peaceful and the world's going to be a utopia. There's no answer like that.

Speaker 1: No, but, and I'm not suggesting this, okay, but if you have a regime that is really strict on drug use you don't have much drug use I mean, I'm talking about I'm talking about like like Saudi Arabia And and that would never fly here, and I don't think it's a good idea.

Speaker 2: It's definitely not a

Speaker 1: good idea. But this idea that you can't culturally and societally lower the levels of drug use is not true. You can. It's just a question of the price you pay.

Speaker 2: Right, But isn't that the thing about like peace as well? Like as long as you're willing to have like like who is the was it the was the who's the was it the president of the Philippines? That

Speaker 1: was yes. Yes. Yes.

Speaker 2: I mean yes. I bet that had an impact. I wouldn't recommend it, but I bet it worked to a certain extent.

Speaker 1: That's right. No, but so there's just this idea, the drug legalization lobby has very successfully argued that basically you can't manage the amount of drug use in a society. You just have to manage the consequences and that is demonstrably untrue. Here's another like drinking and driving used to be pretty societally acceptable and now it's not acceptable. I mean people still sometimes do it but levels are way down

Speaker 2: Have you ever seen that video from when they first started telling people you can't have an open beer in your car? No, see if you can find that video Jamie. I think it's from the 1970s and this lady's like basically we're becoming communists This guy's like you work all day it'd be nice you could have a beer on your way home. Like, it's crazy. These people are advocating for openly drinking in their cars.

Speaker 1: You can change that behavior and attitudes.

Speaker 2: Well that's a wild 1. That's a wild 1 that people want to be able to just fucking booze it up while they're driving.

Speaker 0: Listen to this. Drinking and driving here is viewed by some as downright undemocratic.

Speaker 1: It's kind

Speaker 3: of getting common that when

Speaker 0: a fella can't put in a hard day's work,

Speaker 2: put in

Speaker 3: 11, 12 hours a day, and then get

Speaker 0: in your truck and at least run 1 or 2 beers. I've been doing vlogs where you can't drink when you

Speaker 1: want to. Maybe.

Speaker 2: Yeah.

Speaker 0: You have to wear a seatbelt when you're driving and pretty soon we're going to be communist country.

Speaker 1: That is fantastic.

Speaker 2: That's when Trump got his first light bulb. Hey, I think I'm going to be president. That guy, I didn't even, like his accent, I underdid it. He was over the top.

Speaker 1: But the baby next to the

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What Happen if All Drugs Were Legalized?