Drug Legalization

Okay, I think I'm getting mixed messages here. Oh, well. My opponent thinks I want to rid the U. S. of the FDA. As great as that would be, I know that the FDA is necessary. I'm not arguing against the FDA. I'm arguing against the FDA's plan, which involves banning all drugs if they don't see them fit for use. Why are we trusting the government to tell us what is good and what is bad? Although visits to doctors for proper prescriptions should be encouraged, it should not be required. People should read the labels. The people at the counter who sell the drugs should be required to inform the consumer to read the labels, and ask their doctor any questions pertaining to any drugs. That would be informed consent. I think that the FDA should change its plan. It should require things on labels, but other than that, it should be able to ban things outright. If people are told to read the labels upon or prior to purchase, we have informed consent that they are using an untested drug. Of course, nobody is going to want to use an untested drug, and nobody is going to want to re-label said drugs once they've been tested, so the free market would naturally prevent itself from selling untested drugs. Read the labels on your drugs. Seriously. You complain that we need labels, and then you don't use them. If people want rehab centers after they've taken drugs, then they should go ahead. That boosts the economy. And not all homeless people are druggies. "Natural Selection is a process which is governed by the environment. By this logic, we should kill off all disabled people, as they are of no use to the society and hinder us. You know nothing of Evolution and Biology, so don[']t try and comment on it. " No, we shouldn't kill off the disabled. They are eliminated naturally by the environment. The option to use drugs is natural, and government restrictions are unnatural. We don't kill off the disabled, and we don't kill off druggies. We let nature take its natural toll. If they can survive, then by all means, they survived. "Congratulations. Now you[']ve lost. First off, [s]uicide is not a trait that is inhereted[sic]. And neither is stupidity. " We don't know that there is no suicide gene, caused by a mutation in a potential gene that triggers the will to survive. There are bound to be genetic traits that increase the chance of becoming an addict, and these traits would be quickly eliminated. And intelligence is largely based in genetics [1]. "Secondly, not everyone has the benefit of higher education. Not everyone has the benefit of knowledge. And not everyone knows they are taking drugs when given to them. " If the people at the counter are required to inform them, then they would. My opponent thinks that companies can make substances illegal. This is false. That power is reserved for government. However, companies can write rules against the use of drugs, which their employees must abide by, but this would not be punishable by law. It would be punishable by a loss of job. Completely different. My opponent thinks that drug use instantly turns people into dangerous beasts. People should simply be held liable for their actions. Also, don't forget that I put a clause in defining this debate so that the government can ban drug use in certain buildings (schools, for obvious reasons) and people can ban drug use on their own property. So, a person can probably only use their drugs in their own home. They can't really harm anybody else at that point. Now, for more contentions: 2. Drug Legalization would help the economy. Obviously, this would create jobs, and increase participation in the medical market. Drug Legalization can only help the economy. 3. It just throws people in jail. The police lock up people for possessing illegal drugs. They pile up in jails, unable to do anything productive, hurting the economy. However, they often only use it themselves, with no supplying to minors, so there's really nothing good in throwing people in jail. "Why can't we wear hats in school? " -wjmelements [2] "Because it's against the rules. "- The Government 1. . http://www.scq.ubc.ca... 2. . http://www.debate.org...