Conversation

Aella
@Aella_Girl
I'm watching Murder Mountain - a heartbreaking story of how law and a bunch of small marijuana farmers - "After 20 years of law enforcement attempting to wipe everybody out, it's really ironic that legalization is able to destroy what criminalization couldn't"
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Aella
@Aella_Girl
Basically, the law imposed such heavy pressures that farmers who happily tried to go legal once marijuana was made legal, ended up going out of business. I can't help but viewing this as a warning parable for legalization of sex work.
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Aella
@Aella_Girl
Legalization of marijuana pressed out the little independent guys and placed the power in the hands of the bigger corporations who could handle all the fees and taxes, and ended up incentivizing crime and abuse for the remaining black market workers (hence name Murder Mountain)
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Aella
@Aella_Girl
If sex work is legalized in the US, will this end up punishing independent workers and putting the power in the hands of Big Brothel? Will this end up only increasing the crime and abuse for those who refuse to take on the heavy mantle of legal requirements?
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Aella
@Aella_Girl
I mean I assume yes, I'm already biased towards yes, but this happening in the marijuana business really accentuates this. Decriminalize, don't legalize!
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Jilcaesel
@Jilcaesel
Replying to
@Aella_Girl
You spot relevant issues, but your answers are inadequate. The solution to this problem is neither to not legalize (decriminalizing without legalizing is dangerous) nor to forego health and safety regulation. It is to make the economic rules more balanced for small competitors.
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Aella
@Aella_Girl
Replying to
@Jilcaesel
Right now, the sex work industry seems to be pretty self-regulating? Like, the incentives are aligned - girls have the incentive to go independent (and can, thanks to internet). They have the incentive to get STD testing, to always use condoms (I know a few sex workers who are
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Aella
@Aella_Girl
Replying to
@Aella_Girl
and
@Jilcaesel
on top of their shit regards to that stuff - because if something bad happens, then that means a loss of income and reputation). Privacy of clients is super valued too. The most dangerous part of the business is law enforcement.
Jilcaesel
@Jilcaesel
Replying to
@Aella_Girl
I know nothing about this sector, so I refrain from voicing an opinion on it. And the US governments are super corrupt and untrustworthy, so any regulation they may want to set would not be in the people's best interests. My remark was theoretical: regulations are not bad per se.
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