Public Opinion: Should the United States Legalize Drugs?
More "war on drugs" or controlling them through regulation and taxation? Tell us what you think.
The United States has been fighting a "war on drugs" for decades, yet illegal narcotics remain a problem for the country. Some, like Peter Moskos, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and author of Cop in the Hood: My Year Policing Baltimore's Eastern District, argue that the best way to deal with drugs is to legalize, regulate, and tax them. Others, like former federal drug czar Lee P. Brown, say that the solution is to keep them illegal and target demand in order to eliminate supply. Should drugs be legalized? Post your thoughts below.
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Reader Comments
I seriously believe drugs should be lagalized.
I have NEVER in my life ever been high, and if I have been, I didn't know. No one should assume because one wants to legalize drugs, they are a drug user. Let's be realistic. If drugs are to be legalized, drug-trafficking byproducts (crime for drugs, etc.) would be significantly reduced, would they not? Would the entire country really pick up drugs like madmen when legalized? Drug users tend to have problems, whether psychological or social or whatever, but then again, we should not be throwing people in prison for some years just for a possessing a little drugs. Pedophiles, rapists and the like don't seem to be as severly punished as drug users or sellers, if anyone has noticed. All they get is a slap on the wrist. Drugs can be helpful in the medical field and maybe help the economy taxing them, too. Maybe it can compete with the cost of perscription drugs and therefore, lower prices for perscription drugs.
Public Opinion: Should the United States Legalize Drugs?
No, the United States should not legalize drugs, not now, not ever! The people that believe that it should be legalized are most likely the people that do the drugs. Any drugs have mental affects on the user, but the user also hurts other people that they are associated with more than they will ever know. Drugs are only wanted by the people that do them and the people that make a profit off of them. As for prescription drugs, they are legal but only if you have a prescription for them, they are't made for you to prescribe for yourself. The people wanting to make drugs legal are the people that suffer from addiction from them. The only time they are sober, all they think about are drugs, and how they are going to get them and who from, etc. Drugs can only hurt you and the ones you love. Drugs alter peoples personalities and make them do things they wouldn't do sober. Do we really want people killing and raping and stealing all the time and more often because drugs are legal? Do you want to worry about your son or daughter, brother or sister, mom and dad getting hurt because of someone on drugs. Plus if it is legal it is easier to get to therefore the young kids are getting it easier than before. Drugs are mind altering highly addictive substances, who wants to see someone they love to be sucked so far into something like that? Something that most people cannot return from... Imagine someone doing drugs trying to cook your food at a resturant or someone doing drugs while operating heavy machinery. How about someone doing drugs while doing surgery on you or while they are working on your car. Whar about paying for your child to go tpp college and they do some drugs and go to class, but don't learn anything. What about someone doing drugs while watching your child at daycare while you are at work. Who would want any of these things to take place just because drugs would be legal. What about the people that are against drugs and don't want any part in them, well they would be forced to be around it. Drugs should not be legalized in the U.S. or anywhere else in the world...
herro
yup lets legalize it...
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