Sunday, February 15, 2009

Revisiting Libertarianism in Mexico

I commented a couple of times last year about how relatively invasive government programs that would provoke great vengeance and furious anger in the United States were accepted in Mexico without much outcry. Here's another example: Sonora has approved programs to randomly test high school students for drugs. According to the panista who sponsored the bill:
The results will be made known to the parents, the student, and the person in charge of the academic program and if they have a positive finding of consumption, the minor will receive the adequate treatment for his rehabilitation. 
It seems like this program's invasiveness and effectiveness depends a great deal on the details. If a positive finding doesn't carry a strictly punitive penalty, and if it is part of a broader treatment program for young addicts (both inside and outside of the school system), it could be of some benefit. The fact that parents can opt their children out also makes it less intrusive. But it's also not too hard to imagine the program being implemented unevenly, used as a method of simply expelling problem students, subjected to bribes and blackmail and other abuse, and generally not being worth the sacrifice in privacy. I imagine that's why the article linked above mentions some push-back from local residents.

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