Legalization

The world would be a much better place if illicit drugs didn't exist, but they do, so we must deal with them. (Eldredge 24) Having a drug free America is unrealistic and will never happen. Each year the number of regular users has increased and it varies in age. (Eldredge 24) So would legalizing drugs serve America's national interest? Would it end the war on drugs? Or has the war on drugs just begun? In my report I will provide information for all three of those questions.

Legalization is the only way to bring about positive results in America's drug society. If the government legalized drugs they would take a huge profit away from criminals and we can invest that money in harm reduction. (Eldredge 24) Drug dealers make a large profit and taxes aren't taken away because the government doesn't have records of how they made that because the way they made it is illegally. Think for a moment about the size and motivation of the resulting drug-sales force which would immediately be immobilized by legalization. One of the most damaging aspects of the drug black market is the allure of the easy money it makes available to our youth. A 16-year-old from Washington, virtually unemployable after having been arrested 12 times, manages to clear a heady sum of $300 to $400 a day selling crack. (Eldredge 26) If we legalized drugs the profit that teens and adults make now would decrease tremendously because drugs would be cheaper and easier to get. Another positive factor that would come from legalizing drugs is that the rate of people using them would decrease. Why do you think teenagers break the rules? The excitement of maybe getting caught the adrenaline rush that they get from it. It's the same with drugs, legalizing would take all the excitement out of doing them because there would be no consequences if you did them. Legalizing currently illegal drugs will neither increase nor decrease the number of people inclined toward, or indulging in, addictive behavior. (Eldredge 24) Three different studies have shown only 2 to 3 percent of respondents would try now illegal drugs if they were legalized. (Eldredge 24) This suggests that legalization won't trigger a mass movement into drug abuse. With all this information it is easy to see that legalization will be a positive effect in today's

society, but with every issue there is someone to argue the points people make.

"Don't wave the white flag yet, a true war has yet to launched." (McCullum 25) Many legalization advocates argue that if drugs were legalized, crime and violence would decrease. (McCullum 25) But studies have shown that 23 percent of inmates convicted of assault were under the influence of drugs when they committed their crimes. Another study indicated that drugs users were ten times more likely to commit a violent act than non-drug users. Drug use and crime go hand-in-hand, it's that simple. So the reality is that drug use is almost always a contributing factor to criminal behavior. (McCullum 25) Since 1992 the drug rate for teens has doubled, so what would legalizing drugs do for our children in this nation? They will grow up thinking it's