It also does not involve simply legalizing substances that are currently illegal, although there is room for some degree of legalization in this solution. Any rational observer would have to admit that the existence of criminal drug gangs and the violence related to them is a direct result of the prohibition against substances that people wish to buy and use. Without this prohibition against illegal drugs, there would be little profit in growing, creating and distributing these substances. Without the massive profitability of these enterprises, there would not be the violence involved in attempting to control the distribution, nor the violence involved in attempting to apprehend persons involved in these enterprises. There would still remain the problems of addiction, overdose, and the danger to the user s health in both the long and short term that some of these substances pose.
Total legalization is unlikely to occur until a solution to the health dangers is found.
Marijuana is not only a benign substance, but has many proven medical purposes as well. It would seem that there is little to be gained, and much to be lost, by a continued prohibition against Pot. However, the same cannot be said about many other drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, crystal meth, or even legal substances like alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. People want to experience intoxication. Police officers may suck back pots of coffee and supplement that with wake-up pills, or hit the bar for hours after their shift.