Resolved: Illicit drugs should be decriminalized and regulated by the FDA

Thank you, as we approach the end of the debate let us look at the arguments made so far and realize why the pro wins. R1: Incompetence of FDA My opponent claims that the FDA is not capable of being able to regulate drugs due to a history of incompetence. While the sources he cited do show some incompetence on the part of the FDA, what we need to realize is that during the time of which these actions are taking place, the general public was against the FDA regulating prescription drugs. Not only this but the evidence provided is years old and since the FDA has become a more infallible department that can regulate drugs. Not only this, but my opponent has not provided a better actor as an alternative so we can only assume that the best organization for this legislation is the FDA. Also, the source of most corruption in the FDA is from big pharmaceutical companies cashing in on new drugs that the FDA approves, and most of those drugs don’t necessarily harm people. Finally, if it turns into a problem we could use future legislation to further guarantee the safety of said drugs. R2: Lives Since my opponent no longer has the point that the FDA has no means to regulate the illicit drugs, his point about losing lives also falls. I have shown countless examples and evidence of why the cost of lives will decrease in my previous cases, including incentivizing alternatives to jail time which would decrease drug abuse such as therapy. Not only, this, but since the FDA will heavily regulate the drugs, we will see decreases in abuse and consumption, as well as monitoring the content of said drugs. R3: Economics If the livelihood of the people is not in danger, that leaves economics. My opponent states that regulating the drugs would increase government expenditures which would mean that there would be no profit for the federal government. That entire premise is false. I have shown an article from the CATO institute in my first argument showing the fact that even with regulation taken into account there is still a net profit for the federal government if we were to tax it like we would for cigarettes and alcohol. Also, according to a recent Mint Press News article, Colorado, which has recently legalized marijuana with an excise tax of 15%, has seen less crime and has had revenues of millions of dollars to be used for school construction. This kind of money being available proves that on the federal level, we can make more use of this, possibly even fixing our crippling infrastructure. Even if you do not buy this argument, imagine all of the jobs we could create by making a new industry for the everyday consumer. This would incentivize private industry in a safe manner while also promoting safety. R4: Morality My opponent brings up the morality of allowing people to kill themselves with drugs, however, let us look at a different question. How can we allow Alcohol to be legal if it also kills people? In fact, according to a Reuters article, a study was done recently by the Independent Scientific Community on Drugs and the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction found that alcohol was the most harmful drug to society and the individual. According to the World Health Organization, over 2.5 million deaths are directly targeted to alcohol. With these facts in mind, why don’t we illegalize alcohol if it is worse than the illicit drugs? This is because of the mess of the Prohibitionist era, where people rioted and illegal “Speakeasies” were popping up completely unregulated where people bought drinks illegally and with no regulation. At least under the new system proposed alcohol could be regulated by the federal government, which prevents youth from drinking and stops people driving under the influence. This is simply the system I am providing today. We are taking an illegal industry, legalizing it, and putting it under harsh regulations to promote safety while promoting private industry. So, what were the results of the prohibition at the time of its introduction? Well, according to the CATO Institute from the 1920s-1930s, there was a definite increase in the homicide rate, which was when the prohibition was introduced and then subsequently abolished. R5: The State of the Debate I have single-handedly addressed every point of my opponent and effectively broken them in today’s round. Not only this, but my opponent has very little evidence to back up his previous points besides his most recent argument, so we must realize who wins today’s argument, which is clearly the pro side. I would like to thank my opponent for the interesting debate and I await your response. Good Luck! Sources: http://seattleorganicrestaurants.com... http://www.mintpressnews.com... http://www.cato.org... http://www.reuters.com...