Should all drugs be legalized?

All drugs used to be legal, about 120 years ago. We have been deprived of the rights that Americans used to have. Do you think that all drugs should be legal? Do you believe a human should have a right to use and/or possess any drug so long as they are not hurting anyone else? I do, at least most of the time.

 

IMO, legalized, regulated, and taxed. Take 1/4 of the money we are spending on enforcement, and send it to addiction treatment. Give the rest back to the taxpayers. The question becomes, what do you do about the massive layoffs in the DEA, police departments, prison system, and myriads of other government employees who lose their previous jobs spying on and incarcerating their fellow Americans? Who will Obama sell guns to in an effort to push his repeal of the second amendment?

 

Agree.

We could put them all on the border. Win Win.

 

I see some good ideas here. Are you both libertarians, or closely aligned as such?

 

I think we are more like a Venn Diagram. When we agree, we agree, and when we don't, we don't.

 

I think that is true of most people, even the most polarized people in this country. Most of our time these days is spent focusing on what we disagree on, rather than what we agree on. I'd say it is election season, but it has really been this way since 2004, IMO.

 

I don't think that I've seen any talk in this election season about legalizing any drug, much less all drugs.

 

It's so hard to imagine that legalising heroine or crack could do any good. But there are some very good arguments too, only way to find out is do it right?
So what if it goes wrong, we are doing everything wrong allready xD

But some drugs like hash and cannabis should DEFINITELY be legalised soon. Crazy Americans you should know better. Look at my country (amsterdam/the netherlands) we are actually closing prisons due to a lack of prisoners. Your prisons are overcrowded. Because of drug charges, a lot of is it just weed.

Make it legal and tax it earn a lot of DO! Have control over the quality and take out a lot of criminality. Accurate numbers on the usage in each state city whatever. And how much people use. It's just better.

I hope I didn't offend anyone, none of that intented just saying what is on my mind. YOLO xD

- Milan

 

I couldn't agree with you more. Legalizing weed will even cause peace to every country.

 

Everything should be legal but controlled so it can't harm others or yourself if you don't know or are not aware of what you're doing.
For drugs there should be certain clubs with controlled dosage, medical assistance available, taxes to cover social costs and membership based on exams.

If you have to take an exam to drive a car or other potentially dangerous vehicle, exams should also be taken for getting permits to use certain substances, firearms, buy dangerous pets or even getting training in combat skills.

 

Not all drugs. A lot of drugs are harmful. Marijuana isn't though.

 

Its the duty of the state to consider what is best for its people. Generally I do not think that its a good idea to legalize all the drugs. Some people are not in their right senses and it might be harmful to take them unknowingly.

 

Yes they should be legalized since they shouldn't have been illegal in the first place.

 

You are kidding yourself if you think marijuana isn't harmful when habitually smoking the substance. That said, I still think most drugs should be legal. It isn't upto the govt to tell us what we should/shouldn't put in our body.

 

Well, food is harmful, oxygen is harmful. Yes we need them, but they are harmful, as living is, the more you stay alive the more chances you'll die soon.

 

Drugs that are not shown to cause serious short or long term side effects should be legalized. Marijuana is no different than alcohol. Actually, alcohol is worse. More long term effects. No reputable study has concluded any major long or short term effects of marijuana. Of course you are inhaling things you are not suppose to, and like cigarettes, is harmful to your lungs. But then again, we know cigs cause cancer so why are they legal?

The only thing anti-legalize people say is that marijuana is a "gateway" drug. Thats complete nonsense. The only reason marijuana is associated with other hardcore drugs is because it is illegal. When you have to go to the black market to get your goods, that is not a good place to be. Not exactly the most classy people or products. So naturally being around people that are criminals could possibly get you into worse stuff. But legalize it and the problem is gone!

 

Who cares if they are harmful and/or gateway drugs? It isn't the government's job to stop me from killing myself, be it by skydiving, cutting my wrists, having sex with an 18 year old at age 60 with a bad ticker, drinking myself to death, or sniffing glue. I have yet to see anyone effectively argue prison is better for a person than taking drugs.

 

What about addiction? What about losing control over your mind and placing people around you in danger?
Legalize heroin and I guarantee you that a lot of teens will die of overdose. legalize all drugs and they still will die trying to do one stupid thing or another. I don't understand people's fixation with legalizing all drugs, its almost stupid. Why fight for something that does not do any good for humanity at all?

Are you high?

 

Alcohol is addicting and legal. Cigarettes are legal, lethal, and addictive. Food could be considered addictive and obesity plagues our society. The liberal mindset says government should step in and make laws to take care of people. That seems great and all, but in the process you lose freedom. The conservative mindset says everyone is responsible for their own lives and actions. If you choose to do heroin and die of an overdose or become addicted, that is no ones fault but your own. If you choose to eat fast food and die of a heart attack, it's because you are irresponsible. Liberals blame commercials and all the external influences for peoples decisions. Conservatives blame the individual. So depending on how you look at life, legalizing drugs makes perfect sense. I am somewhere in between. Drugs like marijuana are not any worse than alcohol or cigarettes. The problems it causes by being illegal are more expensive and damaging than if we just legalized it. I do not believe lethal drugs like meth or heroin should be legal.

 

Legalize cars and I guarantee you that lots of people will kill each other in automobile accidents. Legalize TV watching and video games and I guarantee you that lots of people will spend literally years of their life glued to their monitor trying to get their World of Warcraft Warlock to level 95, while their health, social life, and finances crash.

Life is full of risks. You have running with scissors, and driving cars. You have going outside, which seems brilliant at first until you are dying from melanoma from spending too much time at the beach and in the sun. Proceed cautiously (Or we will jail you).

The real moral rationalization you are making to yourself is that it is OK to put people in prison to protect them from themselves. I don't think you need a degree in philosophy, humanism, or ethics to understand the greater immorality of that rationalization.

Most drugs are lethal, especially alcohol. It is my understanding that newer drugs, like bath salts and spice, are evolving at a pace which makes it difficult to impossible to keep them illegal.