Why Are Drugs Illegal?
Question by swindle_the_shoemaker: Why are drugs illegal?
Usage rates of drugs become higher after prohibition is in place. As does crime. This is evident in both our own drug war now, and from the hellish prohibition of alcohol in the 20’s and 30’s.
Further more, our forefathers strictly noted that the purpose of government was to protect individual liberties. Is it not an individuals choice whether he chooses to use drugs? Whose rights does that person infringe if he intoxicates himself?
Isn’t regulation a much better approach? Drug dealers, gangs, cartels, and drug lords make huge profits because their product is so hot. Instead, why don’t we create a licensing system so drugs can be administered with proper control? This way the profits are so marginal that criminals lose their incentive and black markets are eliminated.
Like alcohol and tobacco, we can create a system where only licenced vendors can sell these substances. This way they have minors get checked for ID and are denied – unlike drug deals. This way they won’t try to push newer/harder substances on customers – which is exactly what drug dealers are doing now. This way there is opportunity for high tax revenue.
If you don’t use heroin or cocaine right now, ask yourself this question: “If it were legal, would you do it?”. I sure as hell wouldn’t.
As for the billions of our tax dollars wasted on imprisoning non violent offenses, I am outraged.
Prohibition is unconstitutional, and it’s a grand waste of resources.
remoserjr107: Yes of course, but people DON’T follow the laws. “Druggies” will be druggies. Cite them for public intoxication, and for any crimes they commit while intoxicated or not. They are much more of a burden as degenerates wasting our money than they are as degenerates just being degenerates.
GregT: Knives can be used responsibly, and they can also be used to kill. This is true for anything. Government should not step into people’s private lives, however.
Best answer:
Answer by remoserjr107
If People followed the Laws, Drugs and Dealers would go out of business;
Loss of productivity and danger to the general public are reasons to make drugs illegal, so is the massive amount of money the general public must pay for the Druggie’s Health Problems….!!
Answer by Melissa A
Prohibition of “Illegal” drugs are a reflection of people’s cultural norms.
In all honesty alcohol kills more people then pot BUT people associate pot with “bad people” more so then booze.
Here in Massachusetts Marijuana was partially “De-Criminalized” and the police here in Gardner, Massachusetts were (and still are) predicting mayhem in the streets because of it. In all honesty the real reason why is because almost everyone has smoked pot and the possession of marijuana is something that they (the police) can always nail someone for. In short they don’t care if people smoke pot as long as they (the police) can bust they people they don’t like and leave the majority of pot smokers alone.
Marijuana laws are stupid and counter productive but police like them so they can make it look like they are doing something.
By the way I do NOT smoke pot and hate the pot-heads at school so I keep away from them. Interestingly enough the pot heads that are kids of local police NEVER get arrested even though they are the biggest dealers.