Why Illegal Drugs Should Be Legalized, Perhaps Not What You Think

Posted on December 23, 2006 — The Monkey
Filed Under Politics, Freedom, Drugs |

Marijuana PropagandaIt never ceases to amaze me that some people out there think that they have the right to tell other people what they can and cannot do with their own bodies.

In this case I am talking about illegal drugs.

I am not saying drugs are perfect, nor am I saying that they do not have a negative side, but I think that the current prohibition on drugs is a failing initiative forced upon us by the religious groups that influence the government.

So why should they be legalized? Firstly and fore-mostly, no one has the right to tell you what you can and cannot do to your own body, no matter how stupid it might be. But aside from that, illegal drugs have many positive uses. Heroin, cocaine and marijuana all have proven medical benefits and are generally better for you than the drugs used in their place. Marijuana also has many other positive uses such as being used as a fuel, It also contains high quality fibers that can be used to make rope, cloth and paper.

It is a fact that most illegal drugs are actually far less dangerous than the alcohol and tobacco that we are aloud to consume and it has also been said by the DEA Law Judge that marijuana “is safer than many of the foods we commonly eat.” There has also never been a recorded death in the US caused by marijuana.

Besides, what is wrong with taking some marijuana to relax or taking some speed to liven up the party providing you do it safely. People just need to be educated in the negative sides of drug use so that they can make an informed decision.

Why is prohibition a bad thing? Take a look at the perfect example set by alcohol prohibition. When something is popular and then you make it illegal, you destroy many legitimate businesses, while creating a huge untapped market for criminals. It is a simple case of supply and demand, if people want something then there will always be someone to sell it to them and you cannot stop that. When you take down one illegal supplier, another will always pop up to fill the void. Not to mention that forbidding something only make it that much more desirable, especially amongst young people.

Alcohol prohibition had the opposite effect to what was intended, crime was increased and more people were consuming alcohol than ever before. All of a sudden the habits of regular law abiding citizens were now a crime and these sorts of people were being arrested and sent to jail. They were not a harm to society, as with all victimless crime. It was also far easier for the underage to obtain alcohol just like it is with drugs today. Children now can obtain drugs far more easily than they can purchase alcohol or tobacco because drug dealers don’t ask for ID. Alcohol prohibition was a bad idea, and so is drug prohibition.

Legalizing things make it much safer for everyone involved. Take car racing for example, when done legally the first thing in everyones mind is safety. However when taken out onto the streets, people speed down main roads creating a hazard to other people. If drugs were legal they would be regulated by the FDA and there would be strict quality control in place and you would not have people being murdered over “turf wars”.

A lot of people might also suggest that legalizing drugs will cause a surge of people who have never used drugs to start up, but this is just plain false. If drugs were legalized tomorrow, would you start using? The people that want to use drugs already are, and the rest of us just aren’t interested.

I always wonder if part of the reason people get addicted to drugs including alcohol and tobacco is because they are told it is addictive, a placebo affect. I am not denying that drugs have an addictive quality that does affect some people, this has been proven. I just think maybe stating the argument so strongly does more harm than good because of how open to suggestion most people are.

For further information, I strongly suggest you visit Drug Library which contains a lot of related information on the matter.

After reading this, you might be thinking to yourself that I am just some stoner who wants to make my drug habit more convenient, but the only illegal drug I have tried was marijuana on one single occasion when I was underage and I did not enjoy the experience. I hope you might at least consider the idea that drugs aren’t really as bad as they’re hyped up to be.






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