Dominus
August 22nd, 2003, 11:57 AM
First of all, Prohibition- The period (1920-1933) during which the 18th Amendment forbidding the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages was in force in the United States.
I had to write a persuasive essay a few days ago, and decided to write about illicit drugs and why they shouldn't be illegal. Here were the main points of my essay, I know many people will disagree with them, but that was the point of this post, to get a good debate going.
The drug war (at least in America) is akin to the Prohibition in the 20s, huge bodies of law enforcement are tasked solely to the enforcement of a single law, millions (now billions) of dollars are spent as well, yet no matter how much effort and money is poured into it, the drug war can never be won as long as there are a significant number of individuals willing to purchase an illegal product.
All illegal drugs are not necessarily deadly, nor permanently damaging, unless factors such as allergies, peculiar physical handicaps, and random chance are factored in. Many drugs are no more addictive than alcohol or nicotine (both of which are drugs), tolerated widely.
It is a person's choice what they put in their bodies, as long as they know the potential risks of taking a drug, they have the right to take it.
More subtle drugs such as paint, gasoline, and nail polish are ubiquitous in our daily lives, yet there are no major laws prohibiting their sale or use.
By legalizing illegal drugs, they then can be taxed by the nation's government where they are being sold, meaning that not only are millions of dollars less being spent on trying to control the drugs, but millions of dollars are being made in taxes, since many billions of dollars are being spent on drugs each year. The tax money can be used to set up drug rehabilitation centers as they are needed.
Many associate violence, murder, and various other crimes to the drug trade, yet that is assured given the nature of the business. Legalizing drugs would cut down drastically on the extraneous crimes that surround it, as the secretive and dangerous network needed to sell drugs is no longer necessary.
Both drug users and traffickers are sent to prison because of what they do, meaning there are many thousands of people in prison, putting a huge burden on the judicial system, prison system, and the taxpayers, by legalizing drugs, there would be less strain, and more room for murderers and rapists, many of whom get out of prison in less than 10 years because the prisons are so overcrowded.
I was just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on this, I think it's a good topic for debate. I would really like this to be a serious discussion, so no spamming or anything, thanks. Oh, and I know this post can be construed as 'political', but I meant this as a debate topic, not a political discussion.
I had to write a persuasive essay a few days ago, and decided to write about illicit drugs and why they shouldn't be illegal. Here were the main points of my essay, I know many people will disagree with them, but that was the point of this post, to get a good debate going.
The drug war (at least in America) is akin to the Prohibition in the 20s, huge bodies of law enforcement are tasked solely to the enforcement of a single law, millions (now billions) of dollars are spent as well, yet no matter how much effort and money is poured into it, the drug war can never be won as long as there are a significant number of individuals willing to purchase an illegal product.
All illegal drugs are not necessarily deadly, nor permanently damaging, unless factors such as allergies, peculiar physical handicaps, and random chance are factored in. Many drugs are no more addictive than alcohol or nicotine (both of which are drugs), tolerated widely.
It is a person's choice what they put in their bodies, as long as they know the potential risks of taking a drug, they have the right to take it.
More subtle drugs such as paint, gasoline, and nail polish are ubiquitous in our daily lives, yet there are no major laws prohibiting their sale or use.
By legalizing illegal drugs, they then can be taxed by the nation's government where they are being sold, meaning that not only are millions of dollars less being spent on trying to control the drugs, but millions of dollars are being made in taxes, since many billions of dollars are being spent on drugs each year. The tax money can be used to set up drug rehabilitation centers as they are needed.
Many associate violence, murder, and various other crimes to the drug trade, yet that is assured given the nature of the business. Legalizing drugs would cut down drastically on the extraneous crimes that surround it, as the secretive and dangerous network needed to sell drugs is no longer necessary.
Both drug users and traffickers are sent to prison because of what they do, meaning there are many thousands of people in prison, putting a huge burden on the judicial system, prison system, and the taxpayers, by legalizing drugs, there would be less strain, and more room for murderers and rapists, many of whom get out of prison in less than 10 years because the prisons are so overcrowded.
I was just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on this, I think it's a good topic for debate. I would really like this to be a serious discussion, so no spamming or anything, thanks. Oh, and I know this post can be construed as 'political', but I meant this as a debate topic, not a political discussion.