All drugs should be legalized.

Notes: I would highly appreciate if my opponent sited his/her sources in a manner that is easy to understand. Due to the huge amount of sources, it is almost impossible to tell from which source my opponent is receiving his information. I suggest numbering them, or somehow listing them so it is easy for me, as well as the viewers to understand where my opponent is getting his/her information. Also, it appears to be as if my opponent agrees with the economical downfall playing a crucial negative impact of the legalization of drugs.Along with some of the information I have presented in regards to the effect of the legalization of drugs as far as the economy is concerned on a global scale. I would also like to point out that concerning rehabilitation centers as an effective role of the process of legalization of drugs is not an argument. It is a compromise. I personally agree that drug punishment should not be a punishment, rather it should be a cure. We can have a whole other debate in regards to the severity of drug laws, hinting that rehabilitation centers is relevant to this specific subject.R.1 Decriminalization effects on portugalIn this section, I will focus mainly of Portugal’s drug use, as this is what my opponent is mainly referring to. Now, I would like to get a few crucial points out of the way. Decriminalization of drugs is not the sole cause of drug use, however economic, cultural, and social factors apply as well. (1) HIV, AIDS rates have also skyrocketed right after decriminalization reaching an all time high in Portugal. (2) However, the reason for the decrease is because Portugal’s society is mainly focused on the cure for drug use, rather than punishment. (3)Now, my opponent can argue that if we were to legalize all drugs, we ought to set up numerous rehabilitation centers, in order to decrease drug use and crime. This is true, however an invalid argument, as that is a compromise not an argument. Since my opponent did not state that in the resolution, therefore his argument in regards to Portugal falls. So, what are we left with? My opponent stated that drug induced deaths decreased after decriminalization, along with overall drug use, therefore making decriminalization affective. This is not the case as decriminalization played a very little role. The main reason for reduced drug use is Portugal focusing on how to find a cure, which is irrelevant. R.2 Public safety Since the title states “All Drugs should be legalized” I assumed we were referring to all current illicit drugs, disregarding the drugs that are already legal such as Alcohol or coffee. (I cannot survive 7:30am without the latter). However, Heroin, Crack Cocaine, Nicotine, and Methadone are most likely the most addictive drugs. (see full list at link).(4)Keep in mind that many crimes tend to have criminals under the influence of drugs as I have stated previously. 24.5% of violent offenses have reported to be under the influence of drugs and 29% of murders have reported to be under the influence of drugs, both in federal prisons. (5) Approximately 60% of the individuals arrested for most types of crimes test positive for drugs at arrest. This shows that drugs was the major contributor of the crime-if not the sole cause. (6)R.3 Cost and economyI apologize for the extreme generalization. However, In Canada the costs of substance abuse (including alcohol and tobacco) were calculated at 2.7 per cent of GDP (1992), with illicit drug abuse responsible for at least US$ 1.1 billion, equivalent to 0.2 per cent of GDP or US$ 40 per capita. Most costs, 60 per cent of the total, were due to productivity losses as a result of illness and premature death. Cost of life was calculated in these estimates using the human capital approach, i.e. discounting estimated lifetime earnings. The rising cost of criminal activities is not even included. A study for Australia estimated the costs of drug abuse (including both licit and illicit substances) to be equivalent to 4.8 per cent of GDP (1992), with costs related to illicit drug abuse amounting to $1.2 billion, i.e. 0.4 per cent of GDP or $70 per capita.42 The overall costs of substance abuse (licit and illicit) rose by less than 13 per cent between 1988 and 1992 in real terms; the increase in costs related to illicit drug consumption amounted to 25 per cent, and was thus almost twice as large. Truly, it is highly expected to see some downfalls on the economy, based on human deaths and consumption alone. Furthermore, we are also expected to see some struggles on entering the workforce as with an estimated 30% the world's labour force not productively employed and young people seeking jobs faster than they are created, the ranks of the unemployed, and their problems, continue to increase. However, making drugs available to the public means dragging employment rates even further behind. (7)Sources:1.https://www.unodc.org...2.http://en.wikipedia.org...3.http://cannabisni.com...4.https://www.duffysrehab.com...5.http://www.policyalmanac.org...6.https://ncadd.org...7.https://www.unodc.org...(My previous sources were in a numerological order)