Legalization of Drugs in the United States

I will respond to each issue presented by my opponent, followed by my conclusion to this debate. -Response 1 – Secondhand smoke, revisited. Con seems to believe that secondhand smoke is dangerous, even outdoors, and that no smoking should be allowed anywhere: "Indoor or outdoor, exposing anyone to secondhand smoke who does not consent to it should be considered an assault." I don't wish to take this on, as this is a completely different topic than drug legalization, but I do find it odd that my opponent thinks there is not enough air in the world for outdoor smokers. My opponent continued to stress the importance of secondhand smoke by suggesting that legal marijuana would cause lung cancer: "There have been several confirmed cases of elevated incidents of lung cancer among people who did not smoke but were regularly around secondhand smoke." Fortunately, marijuana does not cause lung cancer. This has been confirmed by several studies and is accepted by the scientific community. Researchers at the University of Salerno have been studying marijuana compounds as "anti-tumour drugs, based on the ability of some members of this class… to limit cell proliferation and to induce tumour-selective cell death". Basically, it is going to be used to treat lung cancer. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov... http://esciencenews.com... I would like to express my sympathy to my opponent for having to deal with such impolite marijuana smokers in the past. They should not be smoking at such close proximity to a non-smoker. However, that is an issue between my opponent and his roommates. It does not, and should not, involve Federal Law. I will quote one more statement from my opponent on the issue of secondhand smoke, before I move on: "Your smoke must not drift into a neighbor's property, or that too should constitute an assault." Clearly, my opponent has very radical views on secondhand smoke, which he believes constitutes prohibition. I am not convinced. -Response 2 – Public Health and Safety I will list several statements and questions by my opponent, with my responses: "Does drinking and driving constitute a non-violent, taxpaying citizen to Pro?" I don't know where my opponent was going with this, but I assure you, the audience, that I would never recommend drunk or drugged driving. Impaired driving is, and should always remain, illegal. "…should I not be concerned whether the operators of those machinery are under the influence? It takes only a slight hesitation for a forklift operator to take my life due to their use of drugs that Pro asserts are safe." Con claims that I've asserted that drugs are safe to use with heavy machinery, when I've suggested no such thing. No drugs are safe for use with heavy machinery, legal or not. My opponent concluded his previous response, as follows: "Again, I believe some drugs could stand to be "less illegal" than now, but they should be much more tightly regulated than alcohol or nicotene are today -- and alcohol and nicotene should have their use more tightly regulated." Con believes that some drugs should be "less illegal", which is like putting a Band-Aid on a severed artery; it's just not enough. The War on Drugs is destroying lives and wasting our tax dollars. Making drugs "less illegal" doesn't eliminate the black market, and it certainly doesn't make it easier for addicts to quit. We need to take a different approach on drug control, and let the people of the United States know that the government is not out there to control their behavior. It is here to protect it's people, to help them, and to ensure freedom whenever possible. The current policy is much closer to the opposite. -Conclusive Response I hope that you, the audience, have taken this debate seriously, as it isn't comical to the families and loved ones of the people killed or incarcerated in this Drug War. Gang violence is at an all-time high, and is supported by the black market that prohibition creates. So, we must put an end to this War. Prison is for people we're afraid of— not for people we're mad at. I appreciate everyone who has read along thus far. Vote in favor of Drug Legalization in the United States. Thank you for your time.