Opinions - Morality of Illegality

[fluro2829]

I'm writing this thread because I am wondering whether illegal drugs as a whole should remain illegal just to prove a point on so-called moral grounds by the government.
Year after year, the problem of drugs gets worse and worse and yet the government still remains adamant that the best way to combat the problem of people using and selling drugs is to make it against the law.

I believe that this is a lack of common-sense.

It is apparent to me that people who use illegal drugs are not influenced by the legal status of them, but by their peers and what they believe to be an acceptable lifestyle.
It is also apparent to me that while drugs are illegal, they will remain recklessly unsafe to use as no regulative measures are in place to keep the substances to an acceptable standard; ie. they are "cut" with other sometimes harmful ingredients to reduce or increase profit margins accordingly in line with business.
I have also noted that many untrue statements have been made by the government in the past, stating that using certain drugs only once or twice will result in immediate dependancy and that death will result very quickly through using them. This is clearly not the case as it is evident that many people can (and do) lead an ordinary life and perform an ordinary job even though drugs form a part of their lives. This in turn further gives reason to disrespect the law and go against advice offered by certain authorities in order to prove their own point that using drugs is acceptable and in some cases the way forward.

If the government is trying to establish the non-use of drugs as a matter of personal responsibility, then it needs to be noted that responsiblity is an onus of the individual concerned and it is their own personal option as to whether they wish to take heed of the educational literature available concerning the dangers, risks and facts of drugs when it comes to making a decision about using them.

After weighing up the advantages of legalising drugs, I have come to the following positive conclusions that making drugs legal will impact:

1. Safety: If drugs are legal, they will be regulated in accordance with set standards. Users will be aware of exactly what they are ingesting and they will have clear, informed knowledge of where it has originated from.
2. Drug Dealing: If drugs are legal, the black market potential will significantly be reduced as there will be nowhere near the incentive or profit margin to illegally distribute drugs. The government could also incur a tax levy that would pay for any rehabilitation costs or other health issues caused by using drugs.
3. Age Restriction: If drugs are legal, an age limit could be imposed which would at least go some way towards filtering out under-age drug users. Much in the same way as with alcohol and cigarettes.
4. Policing: Every year, the government wastes huge sums of money policing against drug use because it is illegal; if drugs are legal, then priorities can be re-adjusted, focusing on other important matters, rather than continuing to exercise futility which appears to be the case as it is now.

This only briefly touches the advantages of legalising drugs but the point is that I believe that my opinions should be branded as constructive rather than immoral and I would appreciate any comments for or against my views.

Thanks.

Reputation Comments on this post:

agreed