The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Chris Reed got a chance to chat with Drug Czar John Walters recently. Reed asked Walters about “Milton Friedman’s critique of the drug war, noting the evidence that the drug war — by making popular intoxicants illegal and available only on a highly lucrative black market — was responsible for lots of crimes beyond buying and selling, and that it had led to police corruption, among many other unintended consequences.…” Walters replied that Friedman’s critique was “untrue — demonstrably untrue.” On the Union-Tribune’s weblog, you can get the details on Walters’ answer and whether he demonstrated that Friedman was wrong. Reed, for one, found himself utterly underwhelmed by Walters’ logic.

For some of Cato’s work on the drug war, go here.