Tim Burgoyne

Persuasive essay on legalization With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

March 17, 2013

Imagine a scenario that happens every single day in America. Some drug user, whether he or she is smoking weed, injecting heroin, smoking meth, doing ecstasy, etc., gets thrown in jail for using drugs. This person committed no other crime; they simply were trying to exercise the right that they should have in this country, autonomy over their own body. This is injustice, and legalization of drugs would prevent this from happening along with having many other beneficial side effects. If all drugs were legalized and regulated by the government it would result in a reduction of crime, a boosted economy, and the policy would reestablish personal responsibility as a dominant value, which would result in less innocent people being punished. Since our age group, for the most part, is already in favor of the legalization of marijuana, it is my hope that you, college freshmen, will be open to the legalization of all drugs as well. Some of you may be in positions of political power in the future, or media power, and can help dispel some of the commonly held beliefs that drugs are bad, rather than the real truth; the prohibition is the source of nearly all the harm. Most people dont stop to think why drugs are illegal in the first place, because thats the way Americans are raised. You grow up with your parents telling you that drugs are bad, and you dont stop to question why. You might have read the scenario above and thought to yourself, Well thats not the typical drug user, Most drugs lead people to crime, cause them to be violent, or unproductive members of society. When I was younger, I didnt even think that drugs lead people to crime, violent behavior, or a lack of productivity. I just assumed that there was some reason why they were illegal, so I labeled them as bad. I didnt realize that drugs were made illegal on some of these mistaken commonplaces. To further illustrate how our

beliefs are shaped by those around us, take alcohol as an example. Alcohol is seen as socially acceptable even though the effects of alcohol are worse than some illegal drugs. Alcohol actually has many negative side effects that most of us dont think about. Just because we have been raised around it, and it is socially acceptable, it shapes the way we think about it. Because of these misconceptions, most illegal drugs are seen in a very negative light that creates negative consequences. Most drugs in fact do not lead people to commit other nondrug crimes. A Bureau of Justice Statistics survey showed that half of prison inmates who had used a major drug had not done so until after their first arrest for a nondrug crime. (Benson, Bruce L. "Policy Reports: The Independent Institute.") This finding shows that most inmates had not used drugs until after they had already committed a crime. Therefore, the nondrug crime came first, then the drug usage. Drugs may not lead to crime; rather, crime leads to drugs. This direction of causation is due mostly to the prohibition of illegal drugs, rather than the drugs themselves. Because drugs were made illegal, there is a black market for them. Black markets are always surrounded by crime, for several reasons. Consider one scenario; someone steals your drugs instead of paying for them. Are you going to call the cops? No, youre going to round up your boys and head over to the thiefs house guns-a-blazing. The black market for drugs leads to gangs forming to protect their turf and area of jurisdiction over distribution of their drug products. They have to solve their disputes without going to the authorities, obviously, because they are doing illegal things. A classic example of this is the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s. The prohibition led to a black market and organized crime. Homicides dropped by 65% the year after Prohibition was repealed (Alcohol Prohibition Was A Failure. The Cato Institute, 17 July 1991). We must end the folly of prohibition -- that is, end the drug war -- or there will be no solution. All of the harm and

horror associated with the drug issue is really a function of prohibition. (New York Times. N.p., 18 Oct. 2010. Web. 12 July 2012.) Another typical opinion you hear about the legalization of drugs is that it would lead to an unproductive, lazy society. Even if some drugs do cause people to be unproductive members of society, does that mean we should throw them in jail for being unproductive? Last I checked it isnt a crime or a violation of anyones rights to be lazy. If someone wants to use drugs rather than do more beneficial things for society, it should be within his or her rights to do so. Secondly, this notion that society would become more unproductive if drugs were legalized is based on the assumption that drug usage would spike. As of now, 38% of 12th graders have used marijuana. Not as many people have other harder drugs but they are still available for anyone who cares to look for them (Teenage Marijuana Use Is on the Rise." N.p., Mar. 2011). Lots of Americans already use drugs, and if they really wanted the harder ones, they are available as well. I, personally, dont think that most of the American population would choose to do heroin if it were legal tomorrow, because people understand the harmful effects and will stay away from drugs. Other countries have legalized marijuana, and they havent experienced a spike in usage. The Netherlands have decriminalized marijuana and 37% of Americans in 2001 smoked weed while only 17% in the Netherlands smoked ("The Netherlands Compared with the United States." Get the Facts). You might think drugs may not lead to an unproductive society, or lead to other crime, but the pharmacological effects of illegal drugs still cause violence. The reality is that most drugs simply do not cause users to be violent. In fact, alcohol is one of the most violent drugs, and thats still legal because we expect people to be responsible. Some people commit acts of violence on drugs but it is rare. All major authorities agree that the vast majority of drug-related

violent crime is caused by the prohibition against drugs, rather than the drugs themselves. A study of 414 homicides in New York City at the height of the crack epidemic showed that only three murders, less than one percent, could be attributed to the behavioral effects of cocaine or crack. Of these, two were initiated by the victim. ("Drugs Won the War." New York Times 2009). Even if violent crimes are committed by people on illegal drugs, it is still hard to prove that the drugs caused them to be violent. Third variables can come into play. For example it isnt far-fetched to conclude that impulsive people are likely to be more violent and more likely to use drugs. This third variable effect shows that although there may be a correlation between drug users and violent crimes committed, causation cant be determined. Regardless of whether or not you still think drugs are bad, the current policy needs to be changed now. On a spectrum going from complete legalization of drugs to very strict enforcement against drugs, the United States policy falls somewhere in the middle. While moderation is usually a good approach concerning other issues, it is not effective concerning the drugs war. Right now, drugs are still used by many people in America. Not only does the policy fail to eliminate drug usage, but it creates more crime. As stated earlier the prohibition leads to a black market and crime. It also costs approximately 51 billion dollars every year to fund the drug war (Nadelmann, Ethan. "Drugs." Jstor). To recap, the current policy creates crime, costs lots of money, and there are still a considerable amount of drug users. If all drugs were legalized and regulated it would be a huge boost for the economy, lessen crime, and prioritize personal freedom. You might think that the government should go on the opposite side of the spectrum, and really crack down on drug users and finally try to win the war on drugs. This would require more money, and harsher penalties for drug users. If it could be won this scenario would have no drugs on the streets, and therefore no crime. The current policy intended to do

just that, but it failed in trying. Even if this scenario were possible, having zero drugs on the streets, I dont think the costs would be worth it. A zero tolerance policy would have to be implemented, creating hugely disproportionate punishments for drug crimes to discourage use (Nadelmann, Ethan. "Drugs." Jstor). The monetary costs would also have to be astronomical. That being said, a zero tolerance policy would still have more benefits than costs when comparing it to our current policy. The current policy has the worst of both worlds if your goal is no crime and no drugs, because this policy has both. Any serious proposal to legalize all drugs isnt without restrictions. The government would most likely take over production and distribution of the drugs, or at the very least heavily regulate production and distribution. Illegal drugs would be sold how alcohol is today. The age to be able to legally buy drugs would have to be 21, unless the age for alcohol was lowered. Public use of drugs would be prohibited, just like how there are laws for drinking in public. Along with making all drugs legal, money should be spent to take a harm reduction approach. Take a portion of the 51 billion that is spent annually on the drug war and use it for programs, whether it be helping to treat addicts or educating people. Make sure that they know the effects of drugs; just because they are legal doesnt mean they are by any means safe. You might think that this all sounds good but only in theory. Are you thinking, After all, in a perfect world it would make sense for people to be able to put whatever they want in their bodies as long as it doesnt harm anyone else. In practice though, if all drugs became legal it would ultimately be bad for society. The benefits just dont outweigh the costs. Ill convince you otherwise. There are so many upsides to legalizing all drugs and the only downsides are based on the assumption that drug usage would increase. Legalizing drugs would end up saving so much money, from several different places. 51 billion alone would be saved in fighting the

drug war. Then even more revenue would be created from the sale of drugs, not to mention the thousands of jobs that would be created as a byproduct. The drug dealers would also be forced to get real taxpaying jobs. Prison overpopulation is another issue that would be dealt with as a side effect of legalization. One out of every 100 adults in the United States is in prison, most of which are incarcerated for drug violations (New York Times). That figure would decrease dramatically if drugs were legalized, resulting in less taxpayer money needed for prisons. The only downside, if you see it that way, to legalizing drugs is that usage could increase. Even if the benefits did not outweigh the negatives from most peoples viewpoints, I would still be in favor of the legalization of all drugs. The reason being that with legalization as the policy instituted, it favors personal responsibility. Americans would have to own up to their choices, rather than pay for anothers. With the current drug war, the people who suffer the most are those who use drugs and are punished for it, even though using drugs should be within their rights. If legalization were the policy, those who suffer the most will be those who use drugs irresponsibly. There can be a variety of consequences such as addiction, overdose, or just spending large amounts of money on drugs. The difference is that with legalization as the policy, the individual is essentially punishing him or herself. Under the legalization policy, the casualties would be brought about by the individuals themselves, instead of the government punishing the innocent under the current policy. To quote the movie Spiderman, With great power comes great responsibility. In summation, the drug policy now is inefficient and detrimental to society. It leads to crime rather than preventing it. Most people are misinformed the effects of drugs and unaware of the benefits of other policies such as legalization. Legalizing all drugs is the best solution because it benefits the economy and establishes the right to autonomy as a dominant value.

People should be free to make their own choices and long as they are within their rights, because it prevents injustices like the incarceration of drug users. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.

Works Cited

Benson, Bruce L. "Policy Reports: The Independent Institute." Policy Reports: The Independent Institute. The Independent Institute, Jan. 1996. Web. 26 July 2012. <http://www.independent.org/publications/policy_reports/detail.asp?type=summary>. "Escape From: Oppression in the Midwest." : A Single Variable Data Analysis. N.p., 15 June 2010. Web. 26 July 2012. <http://midwestoppression.blogspot.com/2010/06/single-variabledata-analysis.html>. Kleiman, Mark, Jonathan P. Caulkins, and Angela Hawken. Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know. New York: Oxford UP, 2011. Print. Nadelmann, Ethan. "Drugs." Jstor. N.p., Sept. 2007. Web. 25 July 2012. <www.jstor.org/stable/25462207?seq=5>. "The Netherlands Compared with the United States." Get the Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 July 2012. <http://www.drugwarfacts.org/>. Liptak, Adam. "U.S, Prison Population." New York Times. N.p., 23 Apr. 2008. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/americas/23iht23prison.12253738.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.