Saturday, February 19, 2005
Legalize Drugs?
While doing research on another matter, I came across the Office of National Drug Control Policy's report: The Economic Costs of Drug Abuse in the United States. 1992-1998.
I found this part striking:
...the overall cost of drug abuse in the United States from 1992 to 1998 showed that the overall cost of drug abuse to society increased at a rate of 5.9% annually with healthcare costs of 14.9 billion in 2000.
I have had many conversations with libertarian minded folks that believe the best action to take in regards to illicit drug use is to legalize all drugs. From what I can gather, this point of view comes down to basically two arguments:
-The war on drugs has failed, we might as well legalize and tax it to make some money.
-It's a free country and adults have a right to choose how they want to live.
My argument has always been this; if we legalize drugs then it will send a message to our kids that drugs are okay to use. Some drugs unlike alcohol, but more like Tobacco, are highly addictive. Exposing our children (and legalization will increase exposure) to these addictive drugs will produce an ever increasing amount of addicts that society will have to care for. Some will say that my above quote of numbers proves that legal restriction isn't working. I believe however, that it proves we have a drug problem in this country and the last thing that needs to be done is for us to enable present, a future, addicts by opening the flood gates on narcotics.
Since theological/philosophical arguments haven't worked. I will now plead to the wallets of my Libertarian friends. Do you want to shell out even more money to care for an ever growing group of sick people? Even if we were to legalize drugs, we will still have to care for the physical and psychological needs of these people:
Ramped-up on methamphetamine, her hair a sweat-drenched mop, the woman wrestled a demon only she could see. Through the cell's thick glass, King heard her shriek at the invisible beast, "Go away in the name of Jesus."
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I found this part striking:
...the overall cost of drug abuse in the United States from 1992 to 1998 showed that the overall cost of drug abuse to society increased at a rate of 5.9% annually with healthcare costs of 14.9 billion in 2000.
I have had many conversations with libertarian minded folks that believe the best action to take in regards to illicit drug use is to legalize all drugs. From what I can gather, this point of view comes down to basically two arguments:
-The war on drugs has failed, we might as well legalize and tax it to make some money.
-It's a free country and adults have a right to choose how they want to live.
My argument has always been this; if we legalize drugs then it will send a message to our kids that drugs are okay to use. Some drugs unlike alcohol, but more like Tobacco, are highly addictive. Exposing our children (and legalization will increase exposure) to these addictive drugs will produce an ever increasing amount of addicts that society will have to care for. Some will say that my above quote of numbers proves that legal restriction isn't working. I believe however, that it proves we have a drug problem in this country and the last thing that needs to be done is for us to enable present, a future, addicts by opening the flood gates on narcotics.
Since theological/philosophical arguments haven't worked. I will now plead to the wallets of my Libertarian friends. Do you want to shell out even more money to care for an ever growing group of sick people? Even if we were to legalize drugs, we will still have to care for the physical and psychological needs of these people:
Ramped-up on methamphetamine, her hair a sweat-drenched mop, the woman wrestled a demon only she could see. Through the cell's thick glass, King heard her shriek at the invisible beast, "Go away in the name of Jesus."
# posted by Joe Florida @ 6:32 AM 
