Like alcohol and tobacco drugs should be legalized in america - Essay Example

Like Alcohol and Tobacco Drugs Should be legalized in America The issue of whether or not to legalize illegal drugs is a recurrent one. It is an issue that has brought policy makers and other organizations at loggerheads since time immemorial. Welfare organizations have mostly been for the ban of all forms of drug. Some idealists’ and liberal Americans have advocated for the legalization of drugs. The idea behind the support for legalization of drug has always been for the improvement of the state of drug abuse in America and not a matter of advocating for a constitutional right.

All in all it is time that this issue is settled once and for all. Drugs should be legalized and this is why. Legalizing drugs would first of all help save many lives. Sometime back alcohol was abhorred in the US to the extent of being banned. The reason given then was that it would be a source of nuisance to society. This did not last long and alcohol was re-legalized. It is worth noting that more good than harm has come from re-legalization of alcohol (Wesley, “Drug use should be legal in America”).

This is because when the drugs are legal, the government will be able to establish regulatory measures as is the case with cigarettes and alcohol. The quantity produced and the selling price can be regulated like they do with alcohol. Drugs would be made following set standards hence manufacturers who make low quality and highly toxic drugs will be driven out of business. The revenue collected in form of taxes from the sale of drugs can be used to provide health services such as rehabilitation of drug addicts.

The government will also be able to warn people of harm caused by drugs as it does with alcohol and cigarettes. Anti drug use campaigns can also be funded using the revenues collected.Laws against drug use are the cause of the increasing cases of drug related crimes. Many cities have sections known to be notorious for drug related violence and wars. Rival gangs are known to go to “war” over drug territories. Persons who also go out to seek drugs are prone to harm. Case in point is some young men who went to buy marijuana from a street gang.

In the process of trying to gain the trust of the gang they mistakenly claimed to come from a rival gang. They were immediately stabbed to death as the gang “protected their territory” (Barnett & Palmer “Should drug use be legalized?”). If drugs were legal, the youth would have gone to a known legal dealer and bought what they needed. This would have saved their lives. It is the illegality of the drug that encourages the formation of such gangs. If the drugs were legal, no one would risk his life going to buy drugs from the gangs.

This would drive the gangs out of business. Without the money from drugs, the gangs would not exist. The economic gain from the legalization of drugs cannot be overstated. The war on drugs costs more to society than the issue of drug abuse. In 1998, the federal government used $16 billion in total to fight drugs. Out of the total, $10 billion was used to establish measures to fight the spread of drugs through law enforcement agencies (Cliffnotes, “Should drug use be legalized?”). Legalization of drugs would mean that this money can be diverted to other uses of important while at the same time reducing government expenditure on drug abuse.

The money can be used for drug education and treatment or diverted to fight other forms of crime.It is therefore for the good of the American society to legalize drugs. It is time that a new strategy is sought to combat drug abuse: Legalize drugs.Works CitedWesley, John. “Drug Use Should Be Legal in America.” TeenInk. TeenInk, 25 Aug. 2008. Web.10 Nov. 2011.“Should Drugs Be Legalized?” Cliff Notes. Cliff Notes, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2011.Randy, Barnett & Tom, Palmer. “Should Drugs Be Legalized?

” Chicago Law Tribune. 134. 218 (1989): n. pag. Web 10 Nov 2011.