Dec 7
Pot, crack, heroin, meth, all of these are drugs. And all of them are illegal in some shape or form. The War on Drugs is an attempt to stop the production, distribution, and sale of these drugs. This has failed.
The first problems rose when President Clinton brought the War on Drugs to bear on Colambia. As the drug market there was slowly choked out, the drug lords switched to land routes through Mexico. Since then, the drug cartels of Mexico have grown amazingly powerful, and the drugs continue to be sold. In the last year, according to AP, 5,000 people have died by the cartels. The cartels, with a monopoly on drugs, have become even more powerful then the government, to the point that police will not enter the Golden Triangle of drug production. Im not seeing much success here. As I have seen and heard myself, the drug market isnt in its death throws here in the U.S. The idea of this forbidden, illegal substance entices people to buy off the streets and only builds power for the criminals. Just as Prohibition only led alcohol to be sold illegally and under the table, the same has happened with drugs.
Some would claim that we are doing the right thing. We are keeping these harmful drugs from becoming socially acceptable. If we legalized the drugs, the addicts would be able to get their fix easier. They would also point to the fact, during Prohibition, alcohol consumption was reduced by 50%. The same can be done with the drugs. We can keep them off the shelves and reduce the amount of lives ruined by drug addiction. Our celebrities are wonderful examples of poor drug usage. The focus would be on the cartels themselves, break them and there is no need to legalize the drugs. Simply burn the fields and destroy the crops. Valid points.
I am, however, in favor of legalization. The power of these cartels is rooted in the fact that they alone can produce it. To make weed available to everyone means that other sources can produce it. I would personally rather buy weed (which I dont anyway) from CVS then risk a drug dealer killing me. Besides that, legalization would make weed taxable. This provides a source of revenue, the same as alchohol. Even more long term, jobs would be required to produce the weed. I am speaking of weed as I consider it the least harmful drug. I am not qualified to say how the other, more dangerous drugs can be safely used. This is, however, the way to win the War on Drugs, control the problem. Eradicating it appears impossible now, the cartels are too powerful and the Mexican people fear the gangs more then anyone else. As they lose the source of their power, they will eventually crumble. To think, people say captialism is bad.
Facts:
1. The cartels have grown so powerful, they claim more then 5,000 lives in a year.
2. According to Anne Coulter, Prohibition reduced drinking by 50%, a point for supporters of non legalization.
3. The War actually made the problem worst, changing the location from Colombia to Mexico.
