Critical Response of ‘Drugs-Vidal Gore’ The article ‘Drugs’ by Gore Vidal was written in order to pace forward a tough case for legalizing all types of drugs in United States of America. He tends to explain the basic human philosophy and the chronological happenings to bring forward this obstacle. First and foremost he brings into front three main arguments concerning the usage of drugs. He deems and strongly claims that by making the drugs illegal does not help to obstruct the drug addiction or trafficking infact they give rise to such activities. Moreover, he endows with the reasons as to how the process of legalization would assist to prevent drug addiction and seize such activities from the face of America.
At first Vidal starts off with the argument that why illegalization of drugs would not be able to accomplish the task it strives for, which is obstruct the drug addiction and trafficking. Vidal does that by endowing with examples of him of how even after trying each and every type of drug; Vidal did not get addicted or adapt the habit of drugs. Vidal places all the irrational fears and trepidations such as “if everyone is allowed to take drugs everyone will and the GNP will decrease, the Commies will stop us from making everyone free, and we shall end up a race of Zombies, passively murmuring “groovie” to one another .” He carries on with endowing diverse arguments of how the drug prevention might be employed rather than illegalizing drugs. One would definitely be of the same opinion as Vidal’s proclamation “Each man has the right to do what he wants with this own life. ” However, this statement in Vidal’s essay is linked and utilized in a negative or diverse way. What Vidal pursues to persist is that every human being has the authority or right more precisely to end their lives, hold an authority to drugs, and indulge in any type of activity as per their wishes as far as they are not intervening in the matters of their relatives of neighbors. Predominantly, what Vidal elucidates is that as long as a person’s activities are not contradicting or affecting others, the person has an entire right over any kind of activity to carry out. This is the point of difference and where the war of opinion commences. These two arguments are diverging. The point of asking for rights for legitimate activities rather than to ask for a right to seize one’s life for an illegal thing is totally opposite if the argument. However, the Americans dole out their words for the tracking down of contentment that attaches importance to the highest degree . As what Vidal has described about himself how by trying once a drug does not make a person an addict is not accurate in all senses. Many people after trying for the first time to adapt the habit of drugs and they tend to alienate themselves. Intervening in one’s contentment is one of the rights which are not to be fortified provided to each and every individual by the United States of America. Most of the drugs are addictive and most of the time populace who commence these doesn’t tend to end or give up their habit for a prolonged period of time.
Vidal, in the New York Times clearly stated to the globe to bring drug addiction to the still in the United Stated, he advised that the authorities should “simply make all drugs available and sell them at a cost .” According to Vidal this would at the end resolve the distressing rate of drug issue in the country. Moreover, Vidal to a certain extent deliberately, accused the authorities of the United States for the increasing number of bereavement of the kids who were addicted to heroin; Vidal believed that was due to FBI’s limitation of Mexican Marijuana in 1969. What Vidal suggested was that the drugs ought to be labeled with a specific portrayal of the good and worse affects of the drugs on the person. What Vidal acquired from the government was to observe a brace step to admit that marijuana is neither addictive nor fatal. Vidal also compared it with speed and heroin that marijuana is better than both it neither kills a person repulsively neither does it get a person addicted and is difficult to give up when required. Vidal makes use of these irrational arguments in order to get marijuana or other drugs legalized . If these drugs wouldn’t have been so addictive, why in the first place would they be illegal? When a person is being involved in such activities it is not merely difficult in fact out of the question to decide the good and bad for that particular person. Hence, the advice that Vidal puts forward of labeling the drugs would be of no use, hardly any person would be interested in reading. This step of legalizing the drugs would enhance their spirit and addictiveness towards the drugs.
Activities which are normally carried out underground would then be carried out openly with ant hesitation. This writing in particular was a pretty courageous attempt. Taking into consideration the era in which this article was published 1970, at that period in time harmony, adoration and drug for everyone was a reality. At that instance putting forward this idea would be inclined to be considered as an unbelievable comic story or a severe cause offend to the US government. The idea which Vidal places is not an innovative idea although it was an intimidating one. Vidal’s article, without any uncertainty is valiant chunk; however it fails to endow its audience a direct and clear plan or reason of why the drugs should be legalized, except for the idea that it is the basic right of the people to spend their lives according to their wishes. “Along with exhortation and warning, it might be good for our citizens to recall (or learn for the first time) that the United States was the creation of men who believed that each man has the right to do what he wants with his own life as long as he does not interfere with his neighbor’s pursuit of happiness .” However, Vidal succeeds to formulate a better point by providing with historical or conventional evidences of prohibition which Vidal equates to the irregularity of drugs in today’s world. It was due to the phase of prohibition that prevented one of the most critical periods of crime in its time. Vidal provides and categorizes only for the major chunk and not for others according to one of Vidal’s statements, “some people will always become drug addicts just as some people will always become alcoholics .” This depicts that Vidal has not taken into consideration the mediators, Vidal converses about the mainliners in particular.
Vidal’s disagreement for making the drugs lawful is that the populace will, under any circumstances or restrictions, turn to be addicts. Vidal proposes that every person ought to be responsible for their deeds. Vidal does not take into consideration the adolescents who hardly acquire the knowledge of their own are placed under a pressure of selecting whether to take drugs or not. These teenagers are only capable of planning their weekends ahead not beyond that. Finally, Vidal closes his article in an unenthusiastic attitude, by criticizing the American government and advising them to do anything sensible which is referred to Vidal’s idea of legalizing the drugs. Vidal articulates, “the American people are as devoted to the idea of sin and its punishment as they are in making money – and fighting drugs is nearly as big as business as pushing them. Since the combination of sin and money is irresistible (particularly to the professional politician), the situation will only grow worse .” This is one devastating argument Vidal not only criticizes the system but also points finger at the credibility of the institutions composed for the prevention of drug addiction. For some people Vidal’s statement might be realistic, however, one needs to comprehend the real intensity of the problem. In to hold back the pestilence that is drug addiction, what is indispensable is to put together law enforcement more effectual than it has been .
Bibliography
Gore, Vidal. 26 September 1970. 30 August 2013 .
Husak, Douglas N. Drugs and Rights. Cambridge University Press, 1992. Mark A.R. Kleiman, Jonathan P. Caulkins, Angela Hawken. Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press, 2011. Melvyn B. Krauss, Edward P. Lazear. Searching for Alternatives:Drug-control Policy in the United States. Hoover Press, 1991.
