Slab,

A socially responsible bar tender doesn't serve a customer who is drunk. It's bad business in the long run IMO. I think it's wrong to hold bar tenders financially or criminally responsible however, for serving a drunk. The bar tender can't always know how much a person has had to drink; i.e., the customer could have already had a few drinks before arriving at this bar, and he may appear to hold his liquor pretty well. The drinker is the one who makes the choice to drink and should be held responsible for whatever occurs as a result of that.

In most cases I wouldn't hold a drug pusher responsible for the actions of one of his customers. I do make an exception for heroin pushers/dealers, however. Less you think me inconsistent, let me explain. Most people come to heroin use only partly of their own free will. The general pattern is that a heroin pusher who is an addict befriends other people looking for a good time, and provides an assortment of booze and drugs for a few fun weekends. I'm not sure if it's deceit or subterfuge, but then they lace pot, meth, or some other drug with a bit of heroin without the newbie being aware. Once the newly initiated get to liking the combo drug they are introduced to straight injectible heroin. I should be a harsh jerk and say that the newebie should turn and run at this point, but most don't because they were headed down a loser road already. So they don't, figuring at this point that they can handle a shot or two of heroin, and besides, it's so much fun. The problem is that the friendly-so-far pusher who has been providing everything for free becomes not-so-friendly. Next time they get together, the pusher says, ahah, that's gonna' cost $100, knowing that he's already deceived the newbie into being a junkie. Pushers do this because lying and deceit is the surest way for them to recruit new junkies who will need them to provide them their heroin. This is how the pusher/junkie supports his own habit, by recruiting new users and destroying their lives such that they embezzle from work, lose their jobs, and begin stealing and prostitution to get their next fix. So I have a little bit of sympathy for someone who becomes a heroin junkie via this route. Conversely, I'd put the hit on any and every pusher who recruits this way.

So except for the above noted exception, I wouldn't hold drug suppliers responsible for customers who of their own free will choose to buy drugs. While other drugs like crack cocaine and meth are extremely addictive, as far as I know, only heroin is the equivalent of a death sentence to a user (not that it has to be; if heroin were totally legal, a user could get a phara. grade dose for about $1).

There are effective ways to deal with and treat drug issues. Witholding welfare and unemployment are not among those methods.

Sg