should we legalize drugs

Posted by TheWhite P on 10 Jul 2009, 387 views

Legalizing drugs is not the answer, but enforcing harsher punishments for drugs users and drug traffickers in the United States of America would eliminate the problem of drug addiction and win the war on drugs

The drugs I am talking about in my argument are of three types;

Some drugs (like heroin and tranquillizers) have a sedative effect which slows down the way the body and brain function. They can have a numbing effect that produces drowsiness if a lot is taken.
Other drugs (such as amphetamine, cocaine, crack and ecstasy) have a stimulant effect giving a rush of energy and making people more alert.
A third group of drugs (such as LSD and magic mushrooms and to a lesser extent cannabis and ecstasy) have a hallucinogenic effect. This means they tend to alter the way the user feels, sees, hears, tastes or smells

Addiction in general and drug addiction in particular is a major problem in the U.S.A. today, about 10% of the population have used drugs and some of them regularly, most of them between the ages of 18 to 25, what should we do to eliminate or reduce the problem of addiction?? Should we put harsher penalty for drug users and drug traffickers?

I say yes, we should impose much more severe punishment. I believe if we make the punishment harsher, we educate the public about the danger of drugs on your health and life, its effect and side-effect; it will help to eliminate the problem, and win the war on drugs.

I believe that legalizing drugs won't solve any of our Nation's drug problems.

Some say that individuals have the right to do what they see fit to themselves, as long as they do not harm anyone else. They choose to put the drugs inside their body, and they have the right to make that choice, without government interference. But we have to know that drug users and addicts do not just hurt themselves, but they heart every one around them; their families, their children, and their society. Now I am asking; can we walk in the street naked? Of course not, even though it is personal choice and freedom, but it looks so ugly because you harm others by doing so, it is the same thing with drugs.

It is estimated that 100,000 babies a year are born addicted to cocaine. I don't think these babies chose to take these drugs, they would suffer in their lives because their parents chose to use drugs, is that personal freedom?

Actually drug legalization will not change anything at all. It will not cause to win the war on drugs; the violent behavior caused by drugs won't stop because the drugs are legal. Legal PCP, a drug, isn't going to make a person less violent than illegally purchased PCP. So, crimes committed because of drugs will increase as the number of drug users’ increase with the legalization of drugs. The psychopathic behavior that drugs cause will not somehow magically stop because drugs are legal.

Legalization proponents ignore the fact that the people committing violent crimes are career criminals who will not stop their illegal activities once drugs are legalized. Many argue that the element of profit would be eliminated. If drugs were legal, it is suggested that they would be sold at regulated government stores, Or according to economist Milton Friedman, at "ordinary retail outlets." Other legalizers say that drugs would be given out to the poor addicts who could not afford them.

But we know that drug related crimes are the highest where crack is the cheapest. Past experience shows that this isn't true. Did alcohol use decrease when it was legalized? No. When abortion became legal, did abortions decrease? No. When an action becomes legal, the number of people carrying out that action increases. Drugs are the same thing.

http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/02050

12-8-2006

Now let us look at the devastating impact of drugs on health, personal lives, and the society in general;

Problems with memory and learning; some studies show that when people have smoked large amounts of marijuana for years, the drug takes its toll on mental functions.
distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch) ; Heavy or daily use of marijuana affects the parts of the brain that control memory, attention, and learning, and causes trouble with thinking and problem solving.
regular use of marijuana or THC may play a role in some kinds of cancer and cause problems with the respiratory and immune systems, it also causes increased heart rate
People who smoke marijuana often develop the same kinds of breathing problems that cigarette smokers have: coughing and wheezing. They tend to have more chest colds than nonusers. They are also at greater risk of getting lung infections like pneumonia.
Animal studies have found that THC can damage the cells and tissues in the body that help protect against diseases.
Marijuana has serious harmful effects on the skills required to drive safely: alertness, concentration, coordination, and reaction time. Marijuana use can make it difficult to judge distances and react to signals and sounds on the road. Marijuana may play a role in car accidents. In one study conducted in Memphis, TN, researchers found that, of 150 reckless drivers who were tested for drugs at the arrest scene, 33 percent tested positive for marijuana, and 12 percent tested positive for both marijuana and cocaine
One animal study has linked marijuana use to loss of the fetus very early in pregnancy, two studies in humans found association between marijuana use and early pregnancy loss. Studies in children born to mothers who used marijuana have shown increased behavioral problems during infancy and preschool years. In school, these children are more likely to have problems with decision making, memory, and the ability to remain attentive
Injecting drugs is particularly risky because it is difficult to know how much is being taken. Injection also carries the risk of infection by blood borne diseases if any injecting equipment is shared. Highest profile recently has been given to HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS, but there are also risks from Hepatitis B and C, another very serious blood borne disease
Snorting drugs like amphetamine or cocaine powder up the nose on a regular basis can lead to damage to the nasal membranes although this risk has sometimes been exaggerated
Smoking a drug can damage the respiratory system especially if the drug is smoked with tobacco, as is often the case with cannabis
Ecstasy gives a buzz of energy and is often used in clubs while dancing non-stop for long periods. In some situations people have danced for hours without a break in hot, crowded environments. They run the risk of becoming dehydrated and getting heat exhaustion. In some cases this can be very dangerous and it has led to a number of deaths.
Relationship problems; drug addict and user may experience relationship problems with the drug use including conflict in the family and other personal relationships, getting dismissed from school, or work, getting criminal record, and getting in debt for drugs, also the violence associated with the habit.

http://www.gargaro.com/drugs.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/4025/cough.htm

http://www.nida.nih.gov/MarijBroch/teenpg7-8.html

12-8-2006

Some voices today call for legalizing drugs in the U.S.A. and they assume that would help eliminate the problem and win the war on drug.

Here are some voices which support the legalization of drugs in the U.S.A

DR. Michael S. Gazzaniga, Director for the Center of Neuroscience at the University of California at Davis. He is a strong supporter of legalizing drugs in America. According to Dr. Gazzaniga, Researches show that penalty or civil punishment does not minimize the use of drugs. Education the public about the effect of drugs on the human health and human mind might be a much better way to reduce that problem and to win the war on drugs. I disagree with him, as criminals will not the offense that put him behind bar for long time, and if they do, then we do not need them to live among us.

Dr. Cazzaniga continued; “the cost of war on drugs is very high, almost 12.5 billion a year, distributed between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. In 1989 alone and about 1,247,000 people were arrested for drug-related offenses.”

But I say it is better to spend money to fight the war on drugs than leaving the problem to destroy our society, and destroy the next generation of America.

Dr. Gazzaniga continued; the drug war has been a total failure. Drugs are as widely available now as they ever have been. The risk of arrest has certainly increased, since 1985 drug arrests have gone up from 718,000 to 1,247,000 a year, but studies indicate that the risk of arrest is often ignored by drug users.

But I think if drug users ignore the risk of arrest, let them be behind bars for a longer period of time, and the society would be cleaner.

http://www.marijuanalibrary.org/review.html

12-4-2006

In a report released, Dr. Jeffrey Miron, a visiting professor of economics at Harvard University, estimates that replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation similar to that used for alcoholic beverages would produce combined savings and tax revenues of between $10 billion and $14 billion per year. In response, a group of more than 500 distinguished economists, led by Nobel Prize-winner Dr. Milton Friedman, released an open letter to President Bush and other public officials calling for “an open and honest debate about marijuana prohibition.”

Using data from a variety of federal and state government sources, Miron’s paper, “The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition,” concludes:

Replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of legal regulation would save approximately $7.7 billion in government expenditures on prohibition enforcement—$2.4 billion at the federal level and $5.3 billion at the state and local levels.
Revenue from taxation of marijuana sales would range from $2.4 billion per year, if marijuana were taxed like ordinary consumer goods and up to $6.2 billion, if it were taxed like alcohol or tobacco.

http://www.disinterestedparty.com//2005/06/legalizing_drug.htm

12-4-06

The following letter was signed by 500 economists; for their names, please visit the website

An Open Letter to the President, Congress, Governors, and State Legislatures

We, the undersigned, call your attention to the attached report by Professor Jeffrey A. Miron, The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition. The report shows that marijuana legalization -- replacing prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation -- would save $7.7 billion per year in state and federal expenditures on prohibition enforcement and produce tax revenues of at least $2.4 billion annually if marijuana were taxed like most consumer goods. If, however, marijuana were taxed similarly to alcohol or tobacco, it might generate as much as $6.2 billion annually.

We therefore urge the country to commence an open and honest debate about marijuana prohibition. We believe such a debate will favor a regime in which marijuana is legal but taxed and regulated like other goods.………..

But I say that it is better to spend the money on fighting the war on drugs and incarcerate the criminals for long time than legalizing the drugs and make it available to destroy our youth and the next generation. Legalizing drugs would turn the society into a chaos, and will bring diseases, corruption, and destruction to the society. It is not a matter of how much we would gain from legalizing and taxing drugs, but, it is how we should protect our youth, young, and the society, and how can we fight and eliminate it.

http://www.prohibitioncosts.org/endorser.html

12-4-06

New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is now the highest elected official to advocate the legalization of drugs. Johnson said everything from marijuana to heroin ought to be legalized because he believes the U.S. anti-drug effort is an expensive operation.

Johnson said of recreational drugs; "Control it, regulate it, tax it," and he added; "If you legalize it we might actually have a healthier society."

But I say, that is not true, legalizing drugs will create a much more sick society than it is now.

http://www.cnn.com/9910/06/legalizing.drugs.10/

12-4-06

In conclusion, I can assure that legalization of drugs will not solve the problem and eliminate the drugs from our society; on the contrary, it will increase the problem and turn the society into chaos. The only way to eliminate drug addiction and win the war on drugs is to enforce a much harsher laws on users and traffickers alike. There is no such problem in Saudi Arabia, because death is awaited users and traffickers alike, and when someone knows that if he does the act he would die, he would not do it if he wants to live.

Work cited