One of the fundamentals of public policy against illegal drugs is to make illegal drug sales and use more costly by imposing penalties.

Refer to the Chapter 5 reading in the textbook which covers elasticity, or how much quantity demanded or supplied changes in response to a change in price, as well as the article "End the War on Drugs." Discuss whether the imposed penalties work and whether elasticity is working for or against the public. Would you describe the demand for illegal drugs as elastic or inelastic? Justify the response.