Drug Use Should Be Legal in America | Teen Ink

Drug Use Should Be Legal in America

December 10, 2007
By Anonymous

Next year, America will have undergone two changes that seem to run counter to each other. Absinthe will be legal, while the hallucinogen salvia is currently in the process of becoming illegal in the states. While absinthe has long been maligned as a hideous threat to life and society, salvia is known to be rather harmless unless smoked or chewed in very high doses. However, the potential for harm with any drugs does not conern me. What does is their legal status. I think that all drugs (including cigarettes, alcohol and even meth) should be made legal for anybody 18 years or older. Drug legalization will not cause the downfall of society, it could easily save some lives and it would cerainly put more money in government coffers, allowing more funding for things like road improvement, technology research and education.
First things first. Alcohol was once abhorred to the point of being banned in America, on the grounds that it would cause irreparable damage to the structure of society. As we all learn in school, Prohibition didn't last all that long. Since alcohol was re-legalized, it has clearly not destroyed the U.S. Alcohol use is generally not allowed at most workplaces, and such would be the case with any other drug. Also prominent is the fact that many drugs which are prohibited in America are not in the Netherlands. Dutch society is not some hellish, broken world and Holland is a thriving first world country. I am skeptical (to say the least) that letting people eat magic mushrooms will kill America.
This is probably a good time to address methamphetamine. My opinion is that if someone is stupid enough to cook up things like cough syrup, ammonia and lithium, then smoke the product, those people might not be the most valuable members of society anyway. They can go right ahead and mess up their lives.
Drug legalization would, on the other hand, be able to save many other lives. Just like with cigarettes and alcohol, the government could regulate production and prices of any drugs. Varying potencies and warnings could be established. If drug strength and content were regulated and drugs legalized, manufacturers who make drugs in unhealthy ways would become obsolete and drug use might easily become much safer.
Legal drugs would also allow the government to collect more taxes. More government funds can spell more money being spent on improvements in fields such as education, transportation and technology research.
Drug use should be legal in America. It would benefit the government and not harm the populace.


Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 72 comments.


on Jul. 5 2012 at 7:33 pm
TheSihlouettedMan BRONZE, Hinckley, Ohio
2 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"There is something more to the knowledge that allows us to see. Some rely on logic to be their eyes. Others believe they know what logic is. But to be completely faithful in logic, you must someday realize that it points to the incomprehensible."

This is precisely the kind of thinking that scares me about the newest generation and what they might fight for in the future. AND I'm PART OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

on Jan. 11 2012 at 7:15 am
gage rodriguez, Tecumseh, Michigan
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments
jordan smith (jordan s.) you live on woodpecker road in tecumseh Michigan 49286 gose to tecumseh middle school and ur in 7th grade and ur 13 and chubby

on Jan. 11 2012 at 7:11 am
gage rodriguez, Tecumseh, Michigan
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments
i dont think meth should be legal it is bad fo yo teeth

Kalyn92 BRONZE said...
on Nov. 26 2011 at 6:19 pm
Kalyn92 BRONZE, Forest City, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If you have nothing, you have nothing to lose."

The only drug in my opinion that should be legal is Marijuana. Its natural and NO ONE has died from pot. People get it medically! It helps cancer patents eat and relax. I know when i used to smoke pot, i never got angry or went on a rampage. Ive never seen anyone get angry on pot. Now with Meth and herion?...I do not see how that is safe for anyone.

on Aug. 10 2011 at 7:25 pm
swcricket98 GOLD, Williamson, Georgia
13 articles 17 photos 102 comments

Favorite Quote:
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.

Whatever ya'll want to think.

Fluffy2772 said...
on Jul. 19 2011 at 12:12 pm
Fluffy2772, McDonough, Georgia
0 articles 0 photos 41 comments
Prohibition clearly proved that making drugs illegal does NOT work at all. If the government regulated drugs, it would also control what is currently the largest source of income for street gangs.

on Jul. 3 2011 at 7:24 pm
Thoreau420 SILVER, Martinsburg, West Virginia
7 articles 0 photos 39 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Herb is the healing of a nation, alcohol is its destruction." - Bob Marley

There are people looking for freedom. It if it harms no one but yourself, why should you be restricted? I hate drugs like meth and crack and heroin and even alcohol. If I was the supreme ruler, Marijuana would be the only legal drug. But I'm not, I realize others want to poison themselves, so why should I care if they do? They're going to do it anyway, whether it's legal or not, so why not at least try to regulate it effectivley instead of this phony war on drugs. In fact, I bet that the amount of new people trying the drug, especially  kids, would go down if it was legal. If it's legal, it's not cool anymore, and that's about 75% of the reason kids try drugs anyway. 

on Jun. 27 2011 at 1:02 am
swcricket98 GOLD, Williamson, Georgia
13 articles 17 photos 102 comments

Favorite Quote:
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.

@ Chee - And what makes you think that people that are high will make a proper desicion as to not get into a motor vehicle?

on Jun. 27 2011 at 12:57 am
swcricket98 GOLD, Williamson, Georgia
13 articles 17 photos 102 comments

Favorite Quote:
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.

Honestly, I didn't even feel like I needed to read this. I don't believe that any of you realize why these drugs are not legal in the first place. People DIE because of drugs. People make idiotic mistakes while under the influence. People can't make desicions while they are high. NO way. This is absolutely ridiculous. Are there any responsible people in the world any more?

rockyraccoon said...
on Jun. 17 2011 at 9:29 pm
rockyraccoon, Fort Wayne, Indiana
0 articles 0 photos 54 comments

Favorite Quote:
today tommorow next month next year all look remarkably gray.

i agree the goverment could control the drug trade maby make weaker versions of strong drugs and use the profits to help with other things it would hurt and even stop many gangs all over the place.

Evie52 said...
on May. 25 2011 at 4:31 pm
i think the same thing as you drugs are bad for you unless they are legal and used in the right way

on May. 13 2011 at 12:19 pm
Your right, its easy to defend marijuana being legalized but thats because its the safest drug out there. People die more from Asprin than most other illegal drugs but were not about to make that illegal

tori@101.com said...
on Apr. 22 2011 at 9:16 am
I think all drugs should be banned to everyone no matter what age

on Apr. 14 2011 at 12:28 pm
tati_pax BRONZE, West Seneca, New York
1 article 5 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
“Life is like a movie, if you've sat through more than half of it and its sucked every second so far, it probably isn't gonna get great right at the end and make it all worthwhile. None should blame you for walking out early.” -Doug Stanhope

ithink that pot should be legalized..there are very few other things that ithink would be worth the risk of legalization

on Mar. 31 2011 at 7:16 pm
xx..PieIsAwkward..xx BRONZE, Godfrey, Illinois
4 articles 0 photos 84 comments

Favorite Quote:
"stap it, rahn"

I AGREE. Because right now the people who are selling these drugs are criminals. If the government started selling these drugs, a /lot/ more money would flow into the economy. Plus, with it being commonly available, the allure would downsize a lot, and people who get high like every day might only start getting high once a week. Because a lot of people who do drugs, probably just do them because they are illegal.

Joe said...
on Mar. 31 2011 at 8:03 am
I think that we shouldnt be alegal because then people get druged up and they could die or get really sick they should only be for people who need them and they should leave them locked up and people shouldt drink alcohal because they could get drunk and do somthing they dont want to do like kill themselvs...

mucho cocho said...
on Mar. 31 2011 at 7:26 am
I think your wrong drugs should be illegal because of how many people die a year   because of cancer from cigarettes and meth and mostly any other drug they make.and thousnads of underaged kids  do drugs cause they think that its cool to.then later they die.

AMP1 said...
on Jan. 24 2011 at 6:04 pm
Agreed except the bit about how drug users aren't valuable members of society. Just because some people make differant decisions from you doesn't mean there les important. I think people should have the righnt to do what they want with there own bodies but maybe that's just me :).

on Jan. 2 2011 at 4:56 am
zebrachic BRONZE, Anchorage, Alaska
3 articles 0 photos 6 comments

Favorite Quote:
Chance favors the prepared mind.

Well... i am not too sure if I fully agree but I do recognize the fact that the drugs are illegal does kind of make people want to do them more. If drugs were legal then it wouldn't be so mysterious to do, except to the kids who can't have it and there are bozos who buy it for them.

on Dec. 11 2010 at 8:23 pm
DawnMarie BRONZE, Milton, Florida
2 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
a bird doesn't sing because it has an answer,
it sings because it has a song. - lou holtz

3 million people die each year from illegal drugs. 400,000 die each year from cigarettes, and the number is expected to double in a year. Families devastated and torn apart, relationships ruined, money wasted....

Yeah, and you want drugs to be legal, why? Oh yeah, for roads.

Ha, good luck with that.