Giving people freedom, and then holding them responsible for their actions, has long seemed to be the ideal principle at the heart of any good polity.

Many people think of this as “the American Way,” but in quite a few arenas of life, that is becoming decreasingly true. Now that medical insurance is a federal issue, and each person’s status as a potential patient is considered a reason for government involvement, the specialness about America’s alleged individualism begins to dissipate.

I have written about these issues on two new blogs, recently. On The Lesson Applied I wrote, a couple weeks ago, about marijuana as a “Giffen Good,” which helps explain why drug prohibition hasn’t worked like one might expect, just from a quick read of economic theory. (I hope to come back to the Giffen Good problem on this blog, soon.)

Then, on Sunday, I considered the prospect for marijuana legalization in California, on the newer blog The Libertarian Standard. Then, just moments ago, I expanded on the logic of making self-medication a right, back on The Lesson Applied.

Why have I written so much about drugs? I am not a drug user. I don’t use, anyway, any illegal drugs.

The reason is simple: Drugs are a traditional area in which people who might normally approve of freedom and responsibility make an exception.

I defend the freedom to self-medicate not only because I believe people — users and non-users alike — would be better off with the right, and exercising their personal responsibility. I also believe that servility on one issue will provide precedent and rationale for further erosions of freedom into other realms of life. If you can win an argument about drug freedom, other freedoms should be pieces of “cake.”