Cocaine, Heroin, Marijuana, and even Alcohol are all types of drugs. These drugs can be deadly, and could even kill someone if not handled responsibly. Do the American people even realize what drugs can do? The Rand Corp. said it believes that marijuana use could double in California if legalization passes due to dramatically reduced prices and increased social acceptance – which, in turn, might increase various health risks, including increased heart rate, anxiety as well as incidents of drug-impaired driving (qtd. in Ghosh). The factors that play into legalizing drugs is far beyond of what the American body knows.
So for that matter, is America even ready and responsible enough to handle drugs if they were to be legalized? In today’s society, drugs tend to be a very popular topic unfortunately. People all over America have noticed that some states are starting to legalize Marijuana. Even though that’s true, it is still being used illegally in other states along with many other drugs. Often time’s people do not usually consider Alcohol a drug, but it is. Alcohol is just as much of a drug as any other drug. Alcohol intoxicates the human body and makes people do things that are not normal; just like many other drugs.
When discussing the topic of legalizing drugs, there are things to consider. Such as the age limit of using drugs. The age limit on Alcohol is 21. And even though it is 21, it is still not used responsibly in different situations like underage drinking. Underage drinking leads to irresponsible use of Alcohol. With this being said, going from legalizing Alcohol to legalizing drugs is a huge and risky thing to think about. This shows that people are not ready for drugs, and cannot handle the responsibility of using drugs in a positive way. Drug dealers are the masterminds behind the distribution of illegal drugs.
Since there are so many dealers out there, how will America distribute drugs if they were to legalize them? There is always a possibility that the government would open up shops and stores, but being that there are many deadly drugs out there they could also be distributed in a lot more secure environment. Marijuana is sold in stores in states that have it legalized such as Colorado. Drugs like Meth would need to be handled a lot more securely than others. Consumers of those types of drugs should need to go through different tests and background checks before they starts buying and consuming them.
Furthermore, legalization would mean drugs of reliable quality would be conveniently available from clean stores for customers not risking the stigma of breaking the law in furtive transactions with unsavory people. So there is no reason to think today’s levels of addiction are anywhere near the levels that would be reached under legalization (Will). Drugs cause people to act in an uncontrollable state; as if the person using them were never even there. The fact is, is that the people using these different drugs would not only have a different attitude, but would also have different actions.
Should this also make the government be more concerned about the crime rates in America? The DEA reports that six times as many homicides are committed by persons under the influence of drugs than those looking for money to buy drugs and that most arrestees for violent crimes test positive for drugs at time of arrest (Hartnett). This clearly shows that drugs are hand in hand with crime, and if drugs were legalized that many innocent people could be hurt from these drugs. Drugs are dangerous not only to the person using them, but also to all of the people around the one using them.
The United States is no longer the wealthiest country in the world, and the economy defiantly shows that. Right now Marijuana is being sold in states across the U. S. , and it is starting to grow at a rapid pace. It has made a large amount of revenue in the U. S. , but there are still drug dealers that are selling it illegally. If the U. S. were to sell it then this might actually help the economy more than anyone realizes. Once people try drugs, they end up being hooked on them. With people like this as consumers, the numbers of people across the U. S. uying it could make the economy increase on a more positive note.
Even though that could be true if drugs were legalized; there would still be consequences for those people. How much of one drug can they have and for how long? This can all depend on the type of drug and the person buying it. It might be able to make the country profit, but is it worth putting lives in danger? Not only do people 21 and over enjoy the need of having drugs; so do the teens of the world. The underage people are not as innocent as one might think. They want in on these drugs too.
Let’s say a “young adult” wants to get ahold of these drugs that would be legalized, such as Cocaine or Heroin; how does one that young get ahold of those drugs? The Black Market of course. He finds someone older than he or she, and he either pays that person to buy it for them, or he pays for what they already bought. Not only is he or she committing a crime for buying it, but so is the person giving it to them. Black Market is defined as economic activity outside of government’s channels or “under the table” activity (“Legalization”). This does not benefit the economy whatsoever.
This is taking money away from the government, but it’s also putting them out of business. Yes, it’s illegal, but it’s hard to catch someone doing this. People have ways of breaking through the system, and this is one of the many ways that they do it. So is the country really ready for the legalization of drugs? Clearly it is not ready for it. The people of America are too irresponsible to handle drugs, and will do anything they can to get around the system to get something. They would not only hurt the economy, but also hurt many people that are using those drugs.
Joseph Califano, the author and a member of President Johnson’s cabinet, stated: “Drugs like Marijuana and Cocaine are not dangerous because they are illegal; they are illegal because they are dangerous” (qtd. in Hartnett). The people of America need to realize that these drugs are not something to play around with. While they may seem attractive; they are very dangerous and could lead to many different consequences. America is nowhere near ready for the legalization of drugs. Not at this time anyways. Who is to say that America will be ready for them? America has a lot more maturing to do before legalizing drugs takes place.
