If all drugs were legalized, do you think gangs and other crazies would simply die out, lose interest?

Question

I lived in a third world country for a decade. This place had no drug laws. A grandfather could give his 6 year-old grandson $5 and have him go to the store and get him a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of gin. The kid would never dream about trying either one. Adults do that, not kids. Pot helped menstration cramps. I once offered one of my teenaged students a sip off of the wine I was having after class. He was as shocked as if I'd ask him to put on a woman's dress. "Why, Mr.Don! I am a student. Students do not drink!" Amazing. A general heard about the evils of glue sniffing in America. So he decided to make it illegal for kids to purchase model airplane glue in his country. Result: hundreds of dead kids. Why? Because someone said "no". At least THOSE people were smart and repealed the law. W/in 2 years deaths dropped to 0. It just wasn't novel anymore. Why can't we empty our jails, treat our sick and educate instead of incarcerate? Legalize it all and it will fall out of style.

Answer 1

It seems like the main risk would be in the short-term after repealing those laws, when everything is suddenly more accessible and still has the thrill of so recently being illicit. I agree that in the long run a more open society that relies on responsibility is a safer and healthier one. The hard part is getting there.

Answer 2

You can find a good answer to that question in the Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs at http://druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/cu/cumenu.htm

It contains a good history of what it was like in the US before there were any drug laws and what happened after they were passed.

At one time, cocaine was included in everything from toothache drops to cigars (crack cocaine) to soda pop. Lots of patent medicines were 50 percent morphine by volume. Heroin was included in some baby colic remedies. There weren't even any labeling requirements so people didn't even know what they were taking. Furthermore, children could buy any of this stuff as easily as they could buy aspirin today.

In short, we didn't have most of the modern problems until they were outlawed and criminals took over the market. We had about the same rates of addiction, but there was no drug-related crime or violence, and most addicts were productive, law-abiding citizens.

BTW, if you want to know how glue sniffing got started read Chapter 44 - How to Launch A Nationwide Drug Menace. It is an interesting story about how anti-drug campaigns go terribly wrong. See also the chapters titled "How Speed Was Popularized" and "How LSD Was Popularized".

Answer 3

I think that legalizing drugs would help curb illegal drug use in our country and the violence associated with it by eliminating the thrill of doing somethintabu which most likley draws youth into the drug culture. Also, if one looks into the past at the prohibition era its quite easy to see that history is simply repeating itself.
The problem however is that the war on drugs in big business as it keeps the prisons full and makes money for the states,illegal drug proceeds have been used to fund contra movements ect. In short the government seemingly keeps the war on drugs ongoing in order toearn money although the war is destroying lives and is a lost cause.

Answer 4

Their widespread customer is the US. we'd would desire to legalize some drugs to have any result. as a ways because of the fact the violence there is going it incredibly is greater a count of struggling with for greater desirable industry proportion than incredibly struggling with the government to coach an unlawful commerce. The cartels are struggling with one yet another because of the fact of opposition to make their revenues contained in the US. The combat with the Mexican government is secondary. in lots of situations it incredibly is an analogous combat as one gang bribes an good to act against yet another gang. extra: the concept that legalizing drugs might bring about social chaos isn't probably nicely supported. right here is why. In maximum of our cities or maybe many small cities drugs are incredibly common to purchase and people who're probably to apply drugs are already utilising them. the project is they're criminalized for doing so which skill helping them to stop or controlling their strikes is greater complicated incredibly than much less. contemplate whether heroine have been criminal day after today might you pass purchase some? probable no longer. in case you have been susceptible to harm your existence than possibilities are high you may already be engaged on it inspite of the regulation. Tobacco replaced into under no circumstances unlawful and a super type of incorporate addicted yet much greater are no longer. Alcohol replaced into as quickly as made unlawful and its use sky rocketed, crime linked with its use have been given so undesirable that the regulation replaced into with out postpone rescinded, we incredibly had countless cities who have been arguably under the administration of crime families with the aid of prohibition. the reason it skyrocketed is using the fact proscribing grant of a element will improve its fee. A bottle of scotch now's below 20 money. make it unlawful and its well worth 50 or a hundred money. It will become greater priceless to offer scotch. elementary economics. Legalize drugs and their fee falls, their use stabilizes and incredibly decreases. you besides would receive tax from revenues and would administration utilization, song shoppers and reassign regulation enforcement to different factors and cut back crime overall. to no count if we'd become a drugged society. look on the information for criminal pharmaceutical utilization contained in the US. we are already a drugged society we in simple terms outlaw the diverse drugs and would charge very plenty greater for different ones.

Answer 5

I've been thinking that for years.

It's a radical idea to a lot of uptight americans that think the country will go to sh*t, but it actually might prevent their child from experimentation.

I dabbled in drugs, I was raised with a strong hand and my parents never found out about anything besides pot. I think if it lost it's allure or glamour to teens by being legal, they wouldn't even consider trying it. they'll seek their thrills in other things that are banned.

think about the prohibition era. it's the same concept!

Answer 6

I haven't seen anybody smuggling beer into the country for a while.

Answer 7

Alcohol was legalized, and I hardly think that doing so made the problem go away.

Answer 8

I dont think we'll ever know untill we try.
Sadly, the government does not like to try new things.

Answer 9

Amen...I totally agree.

Answer 10

No, then them damn imigrants and stuff would just find somethingelse to fight about