What should be done about laws that everyone breaks?

[Jacobtm]

I'm thinking of laws like speed limits, marijuana prohibition, drinking age of 21 etc.

I'm sure many people on this forum have smoked or do smoke marijuana, and that while there may be "dry spells", there's usually no problem for anyone who wants it to get it.

I'm sure there are even more people on this forum who have drank illegally. In fact, I'd be really surprised to find anyone who waited until they're 21 to drink first; it happens, but it's pretty damned rare.

Speed limits are a bit different, because they vary so much. But in NY, the maximum speed limit on any highway is 65, and some semi-major highways are as low as 45.

So all these laws are regularly, routinely broken. People get prosecuted for them, but it's relatively rare. Does reason dictate that, since these laws are largely unenforceable, they should just be made legal?

[Jacobtm]

Jaywalking is a better example of such a law.

If you're trying to coax an answer of "trash the law," then yes, but these issues have more serious side-effects than jay walking, and thus test people's commitment to the idea behind legalizing jaywalking.

[Jacobtm]

marijuana prohibition, drinking age of 21

"Everyone" breaks these?  I have never even seen or smelled marijuana as far as I know, and I never had alcohol until buying an obligatory drink on my 21st birthday, and none since then.

Poor wording, you're right. Everyone who wants to can break them. You're the kind of person who wouldn't behave any differently if these things were legal, so changing the law wouldn't really affect you.

[Jacobtm]

if the speed limit were changed to 70, people would start to go 80 and 85.

If driving fast is dangerous, but the flow of traffic is around 75 when conditions allow, wouldn't it be better to up the speed  limit to 75 and then focus in on the people who're really driving fast/recklessly? The way it is now someone theoretically has as much chance of being pulled over doing 66 as 90, even though in another part of the state the speed limit would be 65, and in other states speed limits on major highways can reach 80 (such as 95 in Georgia).

Don't you think that an 80 speed limit really seperates out the crazy drivers quite clearly?