TH bans using drugs

My opponent has forfeited the opening round of the debate, so I will start. The Role of GovernmentIt is not the government's job to ensure that people are moral and upright. It is not the government's responsibility to mandate people make smart and healthy decisions. It is not one's inherent obligation to contribute or be a productive and functional member of society. Laws imposing on one's body are intrusive and immoral. Nobody should be punished unless they have infringed upon the rights (agressed against) another person. In that case, one should be punished whether they are under the influence of drugs or not. The War on DrugsProhibition was a counterproductive failure. The criminalization of street drugs has had similar effects. Gangs and other groups like the mafia have capitalized on the government’s restrictions by distributing banned substances on the black market. They have made untaxed profits of epic proportions. This lucrative enterprise encourages the recruitment of gang members and thus breeds violent crime. In the last 40 years, the U.S. has spent over 3 trillion dollars in the WOD. Still, the number of drug users has risen despite the increased incarceration rates and a crackdown on smuggling. This is a waste of taxpayer dollars that could be spent in a more significant way. Moreover, tobacco rates are declining despite being legal. This proves there are more effective methods of promoting healthy decisions outside of criminalization which has negative and harmful repercussions.The WOD disproportionately disadvantages minorities and the poor. Rates of drug use or drug selling are no greater for minorities than for non-minorities, yet minorities are stopped, searched, arrested, prosecuted and incarcerated at far greater rates than whites. There is a law enforcement emphasis in low-income communities, which disproportionately targets and penalizes drug users of particular demographics. This is unfair and suggests more evidence of a class war than a drug war. The WOD has resulted in a permanent underclass of people who have few educational or job opportunities. It’s a cycle: penalties for drug crimes among youth almost always involve permanent or semi-permanent removal from opportunities for education, strip them of voting rights, and later involve creation of criminal records which make employment far more difficult.The WOD is also largely responsible for the Prison Industrial Complex. The U.S. houses 1/4 of the world's criminals. We need extra police, equipment, court personnel and jailing resources to house people for the victimless "crime" of voluntary inebriation. This is a massive burden on tax payers in addition to those accused (and convicted) of said crime. It penalizes them even if they do not harm others.Drug-related violence is not an issue prevalent because of drug use itself, but due to disputes among rival distributors. Arguments and robberies involving buyers and sellers, property crimes committed to raise drug money, and social and economic interactions between the illegal markets and the surrounding communities are the real threat to society. All major authorities agree that the majority of drug-related violent crime is caused by the prohibition against drugs, rather than the drugs themselves. This means Pro's position actually encourages violence and threatens safety. Proposed AlternativesBecause drugs serve legitimate medicinal purposes, restrictive laws create barriers to health care and research. People should be encouraged to become informed and make smart choices. Education is a more instrumental and moral to curbing drug use than prohibition. We should supply or at least offer resources to rehabilitate drug addicts without penalty. In addition to the obvious pragmatic (economic and safety) benefits coupled with respecting individual freedom, helping users fosters their health and well being - instead of causing them and society hardship and suffering as Pro supports with criminalization.