Anyone who knows me knows I’m an idiot. In fact the win/loss record of debates with my wife is a robust 0 – 84,965. I know… Why do I even keep score? But if I think about it, that is why our marriage is successful. We are both willing to admit when I’m wrong. Despite my dumbassery, I have listened and thought about the following arguments in favor of drug legalization.
#1 We have lost the Drug War
#2 We spend so much money on drug related crime
#3 Alcohol and cigarettes are just as bad as marijuana
#4 Prohibition failed
#5 Drug use would decrease if it was legal
#6 People should be allowed to do want they want with their own bodies
At first glance all these reasons sound legitimate. You just have to think about them for a minute to realize they just ain’t.
#1 We have lost the Drug War:
If you look in the Democratic/Liberal handbook under “War” you will see that the official position is “Surrender.” If there is too much opposition to surrendering then the backup position is to criticize. If you define success in the war on drugs as complete and total abstinence, then yes, we have lost it. Hmmmm… I guess we have lost the war on murder too. People murder because they want to. People take drugs because they want to. There are no laws against things people don’t want to do. Common sense dictates that laws against drug use have reduced drug use, just like laws against murder or robbing a bank have reduced those crimes.
#2 We spend so much money on drug related crime:
My answer: And?
Whenever a liberal starts acting fiscally responsible one of two things should happen. Your walls of defense should either shoot up, or you should try really hard to keep from giggling. We spend a lot of money fighting murder and robbery too. How is it a bad thing to spend money to keep those who have shown their willingness to break laws off the streets? I know some argue that the prisons are filled with people because of the petty “possession of marijuana” charge, but those people are big fat liars. It isn’t true. According to “Rolling Stone” less than 1% of prisoners are in for possession alone.
#3 Alcohol and cigarettes are just as bad as marijuana:
First, we know marijuana smoke is much worse on the respiratory system. For fun, let’s say it’s true. Let’s say marijuana is “just as bad as alcohol and cigarettes.” Here are some of the fun side effects of alcohol and cigarettes. They can: create dependency, ruin lives, cause fatigue, depression, a gazillion traffic injuries/fatalities, and are factors in the increase of homicide and suicide. “Alcohol is the cause of 1 million more arrests annually than are all illegal drugs combined. Indeed, alcohol use leads to $180 billion in costs associated with healthcare, the criminal justice system and lost productivity.” Wow, if pot is “just as bad” as THAT why are we still debating the issue? It should be legal in all fifty states.
# 4 Prohibition failed:
First of all Prohibition was a stupid, progressive idea. That being said, how do you define “failed”? Do you mean it didn’t stop alcohol consumption completely? Guess what, you cute little bugger? Murder has been illegal since the beginning of time and yet somehow people are still killing each other. Prohibition didn’t work because alcohol has been part of the fabric of society for most of recorded history. Drugs can’t claim that. Alcohol was never prohibited completely. There were laws which forbade the sale and distribution, but personal use was never against the law.
#5 Drug use would decrease if it was legal:
That may be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. The best and most effective way to decrease anything is to make it illegal. I’ve heard several people say they think it should be legal so the government could tax it. Anytime you hear a politician say they want to increase taxes on something to encourage people to stop doing it, you should know they are full of crap. They tax it because they want the money. That’s it.
# 6 People should be allowed to do want they want with their own bodies:
There is a little piece of me that is just libertarian enough to buy into this. Until I think about it. If there was no such thing as the welfare state I could almost buy into this. Almost. But the fact of the matter is “No man is an island.” WE ALL pay for these people’s stupid decisions. We have to pay for people who freely and knowingly inject drugs into their bodies to the point they can no longer function in society and can’t hold down a job. We pay for their shelter, clothing and food, and often we end up taking care of their kids.
The problem is that the drug/cannabis culture has been normalized by everyone, that the moral stigma once attached to being a user of pot is gone. I get that people want to have the liberty to do what they want with their body. It is ironic that the use and abuse of illegal drugs and other narcotics (and legal drugs) makes it necessary to have a bigger, more oppressive government. Until the day drugs do not create addicts, broken families, poverty, crime (violent and non-violent), homelessness, and general chaos in the lives of those who use their bodies “the way they choose,” they really should remain illegal. And honestly, they should be socially stigmatized.
I don’t know if any of this made sense. If it did not it’s because I’m an idiot. If it did make sense to you…it could be because you’re an idiot.
LIFEZILLA: 5 out of 4 people think I’m a moron. Screw the other 2!
