Weed should be legalized!

1. Legalizing drugs leads to more use I. Deterrence Without the threat of prison and other penalties that would go onto ones record, the disincentives of drug usage decrease that, based on psychology, and would lead to more drug usage. This pattern is observed by many instances of legalization. For example, in 1975 Alaska legalized marijuana use in ones home. The result? An increase in users. Although the law only affected those 18 and above, the increased availability (able to get it from siblings or parents) increased teen drug usage as well as normal adult populations. When marijuana was re-criminalized usage rates dropped 57%. When other countries legalized drugs, such as the UK and Netherlands, similar trends occurred after legalization [1]. This is a textbook example of lower penalties increasing the amount of consumption or increasing the frequency of certain acts. II. Cost I am not talking about social costs, however I am looking into the cost of drugs (does this cost 1$ of 500$). Legalization, based on logic, would increase consumption mainly because it would decrease the monetary cost of the drug, meaning it’s easier for those in lower echelons of society to obtain the drug. No one really knows how much these prices would drop, however. However low estimates show prices would decrease three fold, in other words criminalization increases prices by 3 times. Though higher estimates are in the 20 ranges. Either way, the cost decrease would be significant. The cost of making the drug would be lower as the cost of concealment would drop. The increased costs of drug busts would be zero, and the cost of smuggling it would lower as they could enter legal venues. Legalization would increase users by this venue as well [2]. III. Availability Although drugs are still available today, legalization increases its availability to the public. Though in current times you must know where the dealers hang out, and there is threat of the dealer being a cop or being caught during the transaction. This possibility deters many. Under legalization, however, it would be a huge business opportunity. Many shops selling the drugs would appear; Walgreen’s may even add drugs to their medication section. Instead of going to a dealer and other areas I would rather not enter, under legalization I just stroll over to CVS. The impacts of I, II, and III will now be discussed. 2. The impacts of these new users I. Health effects hurt our pocketbook New tests in Europe have argued there is convincing evidence marijuana harms DNA and, in the long run, increases the chance you will get cancer. Tobacco smoke has been seen to damage DNA and increase risk for many cancers, and the new testing links the same problem to marijuana. They say marijuana is actually worse then tobacco. They note 3-4 marijuana cigarettes a day leads to cancer at the same rate of 20 normal cigarettes [3]. Most drug users are very uneducated and very poor. Seventy percent of them are unemployed, and has been a side effect and a cause of homelessness [4]. How is this significant? Easy. Poor uneducated people can’t afford insurance unless they are getting it through employers. Or, at least, that’s a logical assumption. If marijuana smoke does, indeed, cause cancer, that means when they enter the emergency room the taxpayers are forced to pay for his mistake. This is, indeed, unfair. And legalization increases users and, therefore, increases cost to the taxpayer after legalization is employed. And this doesn’t even count for the increase DUI (or DWI’s) which would lead to injury and, possibly, lead to us paying for another’s mistake. Basically legalization increases cost to the responsible American people. II. Drug usage hurts families Drug usage has similar effect to alcohol in many families. Many families urge the user to end their habits, but the user ignores them. They fight. They argue. It distorts judgment and, as shown above, may end the relationship through DUI or its effects on the lungs and mouth. This creates unsafe homes for children, and harms their development [5]. This mean the family may be hurt financially, family funds being spent on this substance leading to poverty and unemployment, hurts them emotionally obviously, and if children are involved they may be in danger. The increased use means this problem becomes more common. III. Harms work productivity Drug users are a danger in the workforce. And their unemployment rate is 25%, much higher then the national average. Even so, those 75% are less motivated to do their job and have lower productivity. Drug abuse in America costs us 181 billion. This hurts them, as they will likely get lower wages and hurts the overall economy [1]. Drug users cause 40% of all fatalities in the workforce, their judgment is impaired (as well as motor skills), and in summary just plain careless. Increased drug use will just increase their threat to the workers around them and their impact on the economy through unemployment and loss of productivity. In reality, would drug legalization fix these problems? Conclusion: The conclusion in this debate is simple and obvious. Marijuana legalization has many health effects that, in the long run, don’t only affect them but also give a burden to the taxpayer. And legalization simply makes the problem worse. It tears families apart hurting the core of society, and puts those in the workforce in danger. It also leads to increased use, which is the cause of all these social problems. [1] http://www.justice.gov/dea/demand/speak_out_101210.pdf [2] http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu... [3] http://www.sciencedaily.com... [4] http://www.mqi.ie... [5] http://www.firststepnc.com...