[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Why is it that every other commodity on the face of the earth (pretty much) has quadrupled in price over the past 25 years but heroin and cocaine (which have been selectivly targeted for elimination by the government whereby a trillion of dollars have been spent 'fighting them') price has either remained constant or reduced?
[/ QUOTE ]
I'm not sure I buy that the price of drugs hasn't risen. Even still, legalization/prohibition isn't the only factor affecting price. More efficient manufacturing, for instance, lowers price. The price of other commodities would likely rise even more than they have if they were made illegal (although your example of Haynes doesn't fit as well because its demand curve isn't at all similar to that of narcotics). Imagine the cost of cigarettes if you had to buy them illegally from street dealers.
[/ QUOTE ]
The price of cigarettes if illegal would be substantially more, correct?
And the price of cocaine has not stayed the same. It has dropped significantly over time since 1981:
1981 price per gram for >50 grams= $201.18
2002 price per gram for >50 grams= $ 41.59
http://www.briancbennett.com/charts/...ine-prices.htm
And before you start in with the "well it probably would have cost tons more without the war" please explain how on earth a policy designed to eradicate a substance that is in high demand can be eliminated without eliminating demand.