The Legalization of Drugs

Unfortunately, his forfeiture of the second round really hurt the flow of the debate. Since round 3 was intentionally meant for rebuttals, I will be breaking down and refuting my opponent's arguments. 'What makes these drugs different from their natural bases is the ways in which they are manipulated for public consumption. Most marijuana is now laced with other additives and Cocaine goes through a rigorous process between its coca leaf form and the white powder that is sold in tiny zip lock bags. These drugs are manipulated by the manufacturers to have an effect that is more intense for the user. This can involve adding chemicals and other additives that can cause quite a lot of harm to the body. It is these additives that can cause a person to go through an overdose the first time they try something-even when they only have a tiny fraction of the amount of the drug that other people might have. 'This is exactly why drugs need to be legalized. When a black market is in control of the manipulation of the drugs and what chemicals are put into the drugs, government cannot institute safety guildlines and cannot safely regulate how the drugs are made. For example, when somebody wants to buy marijuana, black market dealers will usually lace the drug with cocaine, heroin, or other drugs, in an attempt to get the user addicted to the more powerful drugs so the user will then start buying those drugs too, thus increasing profit. If the government regulated the manufacturing and distribution of drugs, not only would they be safer and rid of unneccesary harmful chemicals, but users can be sure their substance is not contaminated with unwanted drugs. "The other thing that makes drugs bad is the way they affect people when they start to wear off. When someone takes an Advil, for example, it wears off easily-the side effects are minimal. When someone takes methamphetamines, however, they are usually treated to a racing heartbeat, night sweats and other negative effects. The person is likely to take more of the drug to keep the side effects from "coming down" at bay. "I'm not arguing drugs are good. I'm arguing the government has no right restricting what their citizens put into their bodies. If somebody wants to use LSD or cocaine, who says government has any right to tell us not too, if we are not harming anybody else. "These drugs can lead to depression, suicide, serious health issues and death. It can lead to physical, emotional and mental disabilities. Each person's chemical makeup is unique and when an illegal substance is introduced, it can cause any of the above symptoms. "I'm not arguing they don't. The problem is, we are arresting these people, who have not harmed anybody else, for years. We're treating them like violent felons instead of health patients. While in jail, they've lost wages from being absent/fired from their jobs, lost time away from their families, being degraded by law enforcement, and other inhumane actions. When they're released from jail, the users then will often resort back to drug use, because their criminal record prohibits them from obtaining a successful job. This is why studies show that jail time tends to increase drug abuse. [1] If we put the $15.1 billion dollars a year[1] we spend on the drug war into comprehensive prevention and rehabilitation programs, users will not only have greater success of kicking their addiction, they'll be able to return to society quicker and more efficiently. According to Frank T. Luciano's Law Firm, people who are convicted of simple drug charges can face these limitations[2]: There will be a loss of federally funded scholarships or federal aid if convicted while in college or graduate school and that is so even if the conviction is only a possessory offense. There may be a loss or limited access to federal benefits, including food stamps and Section 8 housing benefits. Eligibility for certain other federal grants, licenses and contracts may also be affected There may be a loss or limited access to federal benefits, including food stamps and Section 8 housing benefits. Eligibility for certain other federal grants, licenses and contracts may also be affected So a student trying to receive financial aid to get assistance for ridiculously large college bills will be unable to because they used drugs privately. Somebody also trying to receive financial assistance to receive food and housing benefits will be unable too, thus making it more likely to resort to drugs to relieve the stress. Now tell me; would you like to make that legal? Now tell me; do you want to treat drug users has violent convicts: throwing them in prison for many years, restricting them from seeing their family and earning wages from their job, restricting their ability to receive different forms financial aid to try to turn their lives around, and limiting the amount of rehabilitation centers that actually work in stopping drug use? I could of went into more detail on how the War on Drugs has ruined the lives of more people than drug use ever will, however your forfeiture of the second round prevented that. I urge voters to give me the conduct point(as he forfeited second round), and sources point(he had none). I will leave the argument and conduct up to you. I thank my opponent for giving me the opportunity to express my opinion in this very controversial topic. If my opponent wishes to debate me again, without forfeiting, so we can engage more efficiently, I would love to. Sources 1. . http://www.cbsnews.com...2. . http://www.ftlucianolaw.com...