Drug Use Should Be Legal in America | Teen Ink

Drug Use Should Be Legal in America

December 10, 2007
By Anonymous

Next year, America will have undergone two changes that seem to run counter to each other. Absinthe will be legal, while the hallucinogen salvia is currently in the process of becoming illegal in the states. While absinthe has long been maligned as a hideous threat to life and society, salvia is known to be rather harmless unless smoked or chewed in very high doses. However, the potential for harm with any drugs does not conern me. What does is their legal status. I think that all drugs (including cigarettes, alcohol and even meth) should be made legal for anybody 18 years or older. Drug legalization will not cause the downfall of society, it could easily save some lives and it would cerainly put more money in government coffers, allowing more funding for things like road improvement, technology research and education.
First things first. Alcohol was once abhorred to the point of being banned in America, on the grounds that it would cause irreparable damage to the structure of society. As we all learn in school, Prohibition didn't last all that long. Since alcohol was re-legalized, it has clearly not destroyed the U.S. Alcohol use is generally not allowed at most workplaces, and such would be the case with any other drug. Also prominent is the fact that many drugs which are prohibited in America are not in the Netherlands. Dutch society is not some hellish, broken world and Holland is a thriving first world country. I am skeptical (to say the least) that letting people eat magic mushrooms will kill America.
This is probably a good time to address methamphetamine. My opinion is that if someone is stupid enough to cook up things like cough syrup, ammonia and lithium, then smoke the product, those people might not be the most valuable members of society anyway. They can go right ahead and mess up their lives.
Drug legalization would, on the other hand, be able to save many other lives. Just like with cigarettes and alcohol, the government could regulate production and prices of any drugs. Varying potencies and warnings could be established. If drug strength and content were regulated and drugs legalized, manufacturers who make drugs in unhealthy ways would become obsolete and drug use might easily become much safer.
Legal drugs would also allow the government to collect more taxes. More government funds can spell more money being spent on improvements in fields such as education, transportation and technology research.
Drug use should be legal in America. It would benefit the government and not harm the populace.


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This article has 72 comments.


on Jun. 1 2017 at 11:53 am
KINGGaming03 BRONZE, Vista, California
1 article 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
"If you can't dazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bulls***."

the only people that die from pot are dumba$$es that drive

bunny31 said...
on Nov. 6 2015 at 11:46 am
bunny31,
0 articles 0 photos 3 comments
First off this is so ignorant and nonchalant! Although this is a great argument at the end of the day legalizing drugs in America is ridiculous. Saying “It would benefit the government and not harm the populace.” Is wrong on so many levels. First off the government could profit off the taxes of these drugs, but the taxes would continually increase over time because it would be like a new staple product in the U.S. Soon the people could not afford because of the sky rocketing prices being held for these drugs. Second, there would be no government or no people with the right mindset if everyone were high off drugs, or worse, overdosing. Therefore this proposal is absolutely preposterous!

on Jul. 30 2015 at 11:12 am
BlanishCoffee BRONZE, Sterling, Virginia
2 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Women like 2 things,knives and unicorns."

good article It made me think.

eldar said...
on Jun. 29 2014 at 6:58 pm
First, this article was extremely interesting even if I did not agree with it.  It makes some valid points, but I have some problems with it.  It seems to me that this article lacks any real analysis other than a wave of opinion.  Some of these opinions are also very poorly thought out such as the one about methamphetamine and how these "stupid" people are not the most valuable members of society.  This degrades these kind of people so much and who would want to ask for help after being told that they are probably not a valuable member of society.  It would most likely cause them to retreat further into their own mess.  One must also realize that many drugs are easy to acquire from a variety of places, but they also really cause the body to break down over time.  Many of these drugs are illegal and atleast they provide a little bit of protection.  Most of all it's a choice to use drugs and mess up one's body, while in some cases it's simply people looking for a way to distract themselves from their problems.  Eventually, one must face these problems.  I think it would really help this article to really have some facts such as how the netherlands could be benefiting from it's drug use.  It lacks the credentials to grab any real credibility.

Interrobang said...
on Apr. 10 2014 at 4:06 pm
Interrobang, Kalispell, Montana
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I'm glad to see how many people here agree with this paper. I find it absolutely ridiculous how society is so desensitized to alcohol and cigarettes and are fine with those being legal. But drugs that have shown to have no physical dependence as well as very low psychological dependence, such as mushrooms, marijuana, and LSD, are abhorrant, and people who use them are scum. It is a felony to so much as possess LSD in the united states, and I find that this is such a gross violation of the "freedoms" we are given in this country.

I think a quote from Terence Mckenna, while he was a nut job some of the time he also had some well thought out opinions, sums this up perfectly.

"If the words 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' don't include the right to experiment with your own conciousness, then the Declaration of Independence isn't worth the hemp its written on."

If people want to profess this country as the 'land of the free' then we need to start showing it through our actions.

Interrobang said...
on Apr. 10 2014 at 3:59 pm
Interrobang, Kalispell, Montana
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Cannabis has been used medicinally by almost every society it has been a part of for the last 4 thousand years. And up, until the 1920s or 30s, it was in every single medical text book you could find. To spout ignorance about it simply being used to numb pain is asinine and uneducated. I highly recommend you actually do some research on marijuana from, generally, unbiased resources before you go on about all that "sh#%" which some of us call facts.

Pardon me if I come accross as rude, I simply have done a lot of research on the subject, including watching 15 documentaries, reading multiple research papers, read facts on erowid, and other very reputable sources, and am thusly aggrivated when people contradict what should be concieved as a fact.

on Apr. 5 2014 at 6:24 pm
angelpeach23 SILVER, Flagstaff, Arizona
5 articles 0 photos 13 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I think it's fairly common for writers to be afflicted with two simultaneous yet contradictory delusions- the burning certainty that we're unique geniuses and the constant fear that we're witless frauds who are speeding toward epic failure." -Lynch

I would have to disagree with this article. I think it is a matter of morals vs. economy vs. freedom. While I can see where you're coming from that consumerism through drugs would stimulate the economy, should our governement really endorse something that consistently jeopardizes thousands of lives for the sake of "freedom?" You say yourself that the people taking hard drugs like meth "might not be the most valuble people in society," so why, should we encourage them to do so in public and without fear of legal consequence? Lastly, these people are not just messing up their lives, they are hindering the lives of loved ones who care about them and strangers (referring to dangerous acts while intoxicated.) I do not believe  that drug use in "unhealthy ways" would become obsolete by any means, considering that many drugs are addictive and used as a mood uplifter. Anyway, I enjoyed reading your side of the issue as this is a very controversial matter!

on Apr. 2 2014 at 12:22 pm
sgriesmeyer BRONZE, Wyoming, Michigan
1 article 0 photos 3 comments
Good opinion bud

on Apr. 2 2014 at 12:22 pm
kaycie55 BRONZE, Walker, Michigan
1 article 0 photos 3 comments
Nope, not deaths caused by marijuana smoking have been reported.

on Apr. 2 2014 at 12:22 pm
kaycie55 BRONZE, Walker, Michigan
1 article 0 photos 3 comments
I kind of agree and kind of disagree. I think that drugs that have not been proven to greatly harm people such as marijuana should be legalized. Drugs such as alcohol and tobacco should stay legal due to the fact that they cause addcition and making them illegal will raise hell. Drugs such as meth and hallucinogens should however NOT be legalized do to how many deaths they have caused. Just because it is someone's choice to try and ruin their life, doesn't mean the government should make it easy to do. 

on Apr. 2 2014 at 11:02 am
Ghost_Rider14, Pompano Beach, Florida
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
you cant live in fear- Me

I think that it would have good and bad effects im not for it or against it. All im saying is the government and the people should think before they act.

taytortayt said...
on Mar. 7 2014 at 11:12 am
taytortayt, New Jersey, New Jersey
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
Yes! I love this. I totally agree, and I'm so glad some people think the same as I do. I thought I was crazy :D

on Sep. 18 2013 at 5:45 pm
WriterBlocker15 BRONZE, Oronogo, Missouri
1 article 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
Saying you know the world by reading papers is like telling the time with only the second hand of a clock.

I love this so much. you have great structure and it was very enjoyable to read.

on Dec. 6 2012 at 9:20 pm
Andrew McDonagh, Wilmington, Massachusetts
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I agree 100% with this article. The legal status of a drug does not prevent anyone from using. I choose to smoke marijuana on occasion, althought this is illegal, and have never touched tobacco in my life, because I understand its dangers. If drugs were legal, more people wouldn't do them, just less people would die of overdoses. Also more people could go to detox and curb their addiction rather than dying or spending their lives in jail. Thank you for having some sense! It is quite refreshing!  

on Aug. 2 2012 at 12:01 pm
TheSihlouettedMan BRONZE, Hinckley, Ohio
2 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"There is something more to the knowledge that allows us to see. Some rely on logic to be their eyes. Others believe they know what logic is. But to be completely faithful in logic, you must someday realize that it points to the incomprehensible."

Oh and don't give me any of that sh#% about it being used for medical reasons! That's only when someone is suffering an illness that will inevitably lead to death and they need a way to numb the pain.

Kalyn92 BRONZE said...
on Jul. 18 2012 at 11:31 am
Kalyn92 BRONZE, Forest City, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If you have nothing, you have nothing to lose."

Can you actually prove that thousands of people died from pot?

on Jul. 5 2012 at 7:52 pm
TheSihlouettedMan BRONZE, Hinckley, Ohio
2 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"There is something more to the knowledge that allows us to see. Some rely on logic to be their eyes. Others believe they know what logic is. But to be completely faithful in logic, you must someday realize that it points to the incomprehensible."

To Fluffy2772: Not true, prohibition obviously was not a good move, but alcohol use can be controlled. If prohibition were used as an example it doesn't show why all the other laws keeping drugs illegal are working. Honestly, legallizing this stuff only lets gangs and dealers and everyone else come out from under their covers and sell the stuff out in the open, turning America into a real h#ll hole.

A saying to be used:

"Lowering the need to enforce standards in society won't keep society istelf from needing enforced."


on Jul. 5 2012 at 7:44 pm
TheSihlouettedMan BRONZE, Hinckley, Ohio
2 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"There is something more to the knowledge that allows us to see. Some rely on logic to be their eyes. Others believe they know what logic is. But to be completely faithful in logic, you must someday realize that it points to the incomprehensible."

Thank you, I cannot share how much I understand how you feel swcricket98! I'm afaraid the number of responsible people may be dwindling too.

on Jul. 5 2012 at 7:36 pm
TheSihlouettedMan BRONZE, Hinckley, Ohio
2 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"There is something more to the knowledge that allows us to see. Some rely on logic to be their eyes. Others believe they know what logic is. But to be completely faithful in logic, you must someday realize that it points to the incomprehensible."

I don't intend to be a jerk but I have to tell you that it is actually a proven fact that thousands of people have died from the use of pot and the only reason that it is legalized for hospitic use is because if someone has a deathly illness that will kill the in the future the drug pot, can be used to lessen pain.

on Jul. 5 2012 at 7:33 pm
TheSihlouettedMan BRONZE, Hinckley, Ohio
2 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
"There is something more to the knowledge that allows us to see. Some rely on logic to be their eyes. Others believe they know what logic is. But to be completely faithful in logic, you must someday realize that it points to the incomprehensible."

This is precisely the kind of thinking that scares me about the newest generation and what they might fight for in the future. AND I'm PART OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!