Full Drug Decriminalization and Legalization

Thank you for entering the debate with me. Your response was well thought-out. However....I am absolutely not proposing a trade off of common safety for a better economy and lower taxes, as Con has claimed. These are simply a couple of benefits that would derive from legalization. If anything, drugs would be safer when legal because they would have limitations and restrictions on potency and quantity. When the government bluntly outlaws a substance, they essentially surrender all control over said substance and it is therefore accessed with greater ease. This explains why minors can obtain pot easier than liquor (1). Although counter-intuitive, being able to purchase a substance lawfully (when age-restricted) lowers the availability. But perhaps I am taking too much of a mechanical approach. Allow me to touch on a more moral standpoint. Each individual has the right to put whatever they want in their bodies, may it be alcohol, tobacco, or junk food. Why should drugs be any different? The population should be able to make their own choices regarding their bodies and be responsible for their own actions. It is not the government's job to take care of us. If the freedom of choosing what we can consume or smoke is not defended, freedom itself is at risk. All of the arguments supporting the current prohibition can be applied to alcohol and cigarettes, but generally, drinkers and smokers will argue against their own regulation because they say the government should stay out of their lives and personal habits, which is completely correct, albeit hypocritical. Beginning in 1984, prisons in the United States began to privatize (2), which means the government did not operate them, despite the fact that they funded them. These private prisons are still around today, and run like businesses, and the businesses are paid per inmate. This obviously sparks an incentive for more inmates (because the ultimate goal of a business is to make as much money as possible). So in order to keep their jails full, the owners will lobby for harsher drug laws. Do I need to explain how this is corrupt? As detailed in the previous round, 25% of the prison population in America are non-violent drug-offenders. These people hurt no one but themselves, yet their lives are ruined, their families are torn apart, and they are viewed as the scum of society. As if throwing them in jail would help the situation. Alcoholics are not incarcerated, even though alcohol poses a much more deadly threat than marijuana, or even cocaine (3). Even some individuals using medical drugs that are illegal are jailed. What kind of society can allow the imprisonment of someone going blind from glaucoma? Con has stated that he "strongly disagree[s] that the proposed action would lower crime rates, dissolve violent drug cartels, or save our economy." I did not say legalization would "save" the economy, just that it would inevitably boost it. I also find flaw in Con's claim because his theory is not factually-rooted. It is an assumption entirely. Legalizing drugs in America would kill business for cartels because it is their primary source of revenue (4). Not only would legalization slow down immigration, it would give many South American countries a chance to regain their footing.I am interested in hearing your response and the remainder of your debate.(1) "Press Releases:." CASAColumbia.org: News Room: National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XIII: Teens and Parents. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2013.(2) "Sociological Images." Sociological Images RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2013.(3) "SAFER Campuses Initiative - Alcohol vs. Marijuana." SAFER Campuses Initiative - Alcohol vs. Marijuana. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2013.(4) "Study: US Marijuana Legalization Could Cut Cartel Profits By 30% - InSight Crime | Organized Crime in the AmÃ©ricas." Study: US Marijuana Legalization Could Cut Cartel Profits By 30%. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2013.