“A growing body of evidence and opinion suggests that contemporary drug policy, as pursued in recent decades, may be counterproductive and even harmful to the society whose public safety it seeks to protect. This conclusion becomes more readily apparent when one distinguishes the harms suffered by society and its members directly attributable to the pharmacological effects of drug use upon human behavior, from those harms resulting from policies attempting to eradicate drug use.” (N.Y.C.L.A.)

In today’s society, many people look down upon illegal drugs as one of the worst things someone could possibly do. Most people do not realize that in the U.S.A., Aspirin kills just as many people per year as Heroin.(TDP) Many Americans do not realize that Alcohol kills almost 5 times as much as all illicit drug use combined. Several other average Americans do not know that Tobacco kills a little more than 25 times as many people as illicit drug use in the U.S.(DWF)

652,091 people die from heart related health problems in America every year.(CDC) It is true that there are many different foods available that are very bad for your health. But, these unhealthy foods are not illegal for our fellow Americans to eat. Many people know these types of food are bad for them. Yet people still eat the food, because they believe the benefits (the taste of food, feeling full) outweigh the negative aspects (gaining weight, clogged arteries). People have the right to eat whatever they like, even if it is unhealthy for them.

“The common argument is if drugs are legal, won’t more people become addicted? Drugs are only used by people who want to use them. Those who want to try drugs get them most of the time, even if they are illegal. Besides, not everyone smokes cigarettes or drinks vodka just because it is legal. When teenagers have the ability to drink, they usually get drunk. They usually don’t drink one or two beers in moderation. If they had the opportunity to get alcoholic beverages every day, this "ravenous hunger" would decrease very fast.” (*Lopa)

“There is evidence that many illicit drugs pose comparatively fewer health dangers than certain licit drugs (e. g. alcohol and tobacco). In the UK, an average of 500,000 people take ecstasy every weekend, 40 million are social drinkers, 11 million are "at risk" or "problem" drinkers, and 9 million smoke cigarettes, resulting in 40 ecstasy-related deaths a year, 6500 deaths due to alcohol and 120,000 deaths due to smoking, making the per user risk of ecstasy half that of alcohol (about 1:12,500 occasions, compared to 1:6,153 for alcohol), and much below tobacco (1:75).”(McKenna)

“Some say Drugs are not good in general, so why legalize? Sure, drugs can wreck people’s lives, but not wearing a seatbelt, bad investments, poor diet, unemployment, and being homeless can do that too. Many times, being a responsible drug user can be hazardous because of the stereotype attached, and can lead into several of the previously mentioned scenarios. EVERY drug has negative aspects, starting from cigarettes, to crack, to aspirin. But just as good drugs have some good sides, so do bad drugs. Everyone knows that drinking alcohol can make you addicted to it, but everybody knows too that this does not happen with a glass of wine for dinner. It always depends on the amount, the frequency of the use of the drug itself. Smoking marijuana once a month will not make you fall over dead. The percentage of alcohol is measured and printed on almost every bottle so everyone knows how much he or she can drink without being drunk. With the illegal drugs is this of course impossible, because it is also illegal to have it tested. “(*Lopa)

Another point is that everyone should have the right to know for themselves, what is good or bad for them. Some think it is okay to relax with a drug, some do not. As long as they do not harm anyone, and just want to have a nice evening at home; people should let them decide by themselves. No one person should rule another person's life based on their tastes. People can drink, smoke, take prescription drugs, drink coffee, and energy drinks, and then eat a few super-extra-ultra-value meals. We can do all that in one day, yet it is illegal for you to smoke a substance (less harmful to your body than aspirin) in your living room, after a long day at work. You have the freedom to do all “these drugs”, but not “those drugs”. Zero people die from marijuana use in our country and around the world. Why is it so demonized? Why aren’t sugar, caffeine, and nicotine known gateway drugs? People should be able to do what they wish with their bodies, as long as they are not doing harm to anyone else.


Many people believe legalization of drugs would lead to a reduction in crime. Legalization would make our streets and homes safer, in relation to the reduction of the retail cost. It would also be safer from gangs fighting over drug and turf wars. It would put an end to prison overcrowding by freeing almost half of our prison population. “It would unclog the court system, simply by wiping hundreds of thousands of non-violent cases off the court dockets.”(Totse) Legalization would save lots of taxpayer money, an estimated 100 billion dollars a year by Steven Duke. We could also create more jobs in the form of growers, inspectors, and pharmacy technicians. Legalization of illicit drugs should be treated the same as alcohol. It should be tested, regulated, labeled, and taxed. The proper age of someone to be eligible to purchase is up for debate. People should also have to follow the same driving laws under the influence of any moderately strong drug the same way, or slightly harsher than the current alcohol and driving laws.

Many people seem to have forgotten that we have tried and gone through prohibition before. Prohibition did not really work out for us then, and with illegal drugs it is not working for us now. One of the lessons one could learn from prohibition is that you cannot deny a man something that makes him feel good, and hurts no one else but him. When you deny that, you only make him want it more than he would were it readily available. Let the people who want to do drugs, do them.

We spend $3,168 a second on the war on drugs.(Duke) We could probably spend a third of that for prevention and treatment of drug abuse. We are in very tough financial times. It appears we could greatly reduce our National debt, and stop working to demonize those who choose a safer drug than alcohol. There are responsible drugs users out there. Most people unknowingly meet one almost every day. We are promised life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Let’s hold our Government to that promise and help our country as a result of it.