I believe it is coming. The legalization of recreational drugs. People want the right to do whatever they want to their own body. After all our Bill of Rights guarantees the right to “Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”.
I see both sides of the argument here. I have been to The Netherlands where Marijuana use is legal and readily available. From an outsiders point of view it doesn’t seem to have affected its population much. Legalized prostitution there too, but then that is another post all together.
The question is, what are the benefits to our society? Well, the taxes that could be gained from those who choose to partake could be HUGE. There would be less gang wars, because they would not have anything to fight over other than “turf”. About 2 million people are arrested each year on drug charges and drug related charges. Without that factor, there would be less overcrowding in our jails and more “dads” at home to to support and take care of their families. Mothers too. Less people in jail equals less money the government has to pay to house them and then rehabilitate them. Jail does not work for these people anyway.
Think of the Billions of dollars in Tax money we could save on the “War on Drugs”. Money that could go into education which in the end is the key to everything including just saying no.
It would also give a big sting to our pharmaceutical industry. People would not rely so much on the Vicodins and the Oxycontins of this world, rather they would turn to other more natural sources for pain relief. Analgesics are the number one sellers in the world, imagine if the drug companies were challenged truly on their bread and butter?
What are the drawbacks? Well, the chance that more people will become addicted for one. Smoking anything into your lungs will cause cancer. We already have enough cancer deaths from cigarettes do we really want to add? More addicts could possibly lead to a larger part of our population needing welfare. Also medical costs could increase due to overdoses and misuse.
The thing that people seem to ignore is that Alcohol and Cigarettes are both drugs. Pretty them up any way you want, but they still are drugs. You have those who abuse, and those who don’t. I don’t really see that statistic moving up with the inclusion of more drugs. In fact, it might just become the opposite where people lose the need and the thrill to try them if they are easily available.
Personally, I don’t know how drug addicts do it to be honest. I have had access to prescription narcotics for 12 years now and I still get sick every single time I take them. Its a gross feeling and I can’t honestly believe that anyone enjoys feeling nauseated and out of their senses. I abstain from taking my drugs more than I should because of these side effects. Also with the needles? My veins break. I lose them and they hurt. Why in God’s earth would anyone do that to themselves on purpose??? It blows my mind.
I’m not going to sit here and say that I have never had any recreational drugs myself. I have. I didn’t care for them personally. I have friends and family who still like to indulge now and then. Hey that is fine with me if done in moderation and safely.
At the end of the day its all about being safe and sane. It doesn’t matter if it is Beer or a joint, safety should always be first.
What do you think?
Entry Filed under: Pain, Personal, drugs, general, health, humanity, lessons, life, medical, our world, questions, sharing, thoughts. Tags: alcohol, cigarettes, cocaine, drug use, drugs, healthy, legal drugs, legalizing marijuana, medical, meth, morality, prison population, ramifications of legalizing drugs, recreational drugs, results of drugs being available in US, should we legalize drugs?, taxes, weed.
