Republicans Back Policies That Expand the Growing Vice Economy
Republican leaders, including Donald Trump and Rand Paul, have succeeded in postponing a ban on hemp-derived intoxicants, adding to a series of GOP moves that favor gambling, crypto and other vices.
Republican figures such as Donald Trump and Rand Paul managed to push back a prohibition on intoxicating hemp-derived products, marking the latest in a pattern of GOP support for the so-called vice economy, which also includes relaxed rules on marijuana, cryptocurrency and online gambling. The article cites a survey of 2,000 men aged 18-29 by the Institute for Family Studies, revealing widespread feelings of failure, low control over life events and a bleak outlook on achieving the American dream.
Young men report high levels of loneliness, limited close friendships and frequent engagement with gambling apps, porn, and video games, with conservatives showing even higher daily usage rates. The piece contends that these vice-driven policies conflict with the party’s professed emphasis on thrift, hard work and sobriety, and that they fail to address the underlying mental-health challenges facing young men. It warns that expanding such industries may further erode confidence among the demographic the GOP seeks to attract, rather than bolster it.
Why it matters
The story highlights how GOP policy choices may be worsening mental-health and economic prospects for young men while courting them with vice-related industries.
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