Pros and Cons of Drug Legalization Pros and Cons of Drug Legalization Jessica DeLong NAU Abstract Legalizing drugs has been debated for many years, especially legalizing marijuana which is considered a “soft” drug. There are positive and negative outcomes of legalizing the use of drugs. Over the next few pages I will discuss those outcomes. Pros and Cons of Drug Legalization Pros: By legalizing, the violent crime rates would drop significantly. With the drug cartels on the top of the food chain, violent crimes are at a high point due mainly to “turf” wars.
If drugs were legalized it could potentially cause the black market drug industry to collapse. The US government spends billions of dollars every year trying to win the war on drugs. By legalizing, the government could tax the sales as they do with tobacco and alcohol products increasing revenue and saving them approximately $42billion dollars a year. More jobs would be created which in turn would lower unemployment rates and even poverty rates. A black market drug dealer will sell to any person of any age.
Legalization would lower the number of minors using drugs by placing an age limitation on the sale of the product. Marijuana has been shown to alleviate symptoms of medical problems such as migraine headaches, the growth rate of cancerous tumors, the progression rate of Alzheimer’s disease, and the behavioral effects of AD/ADHD. Legalizing could potentially create physical health benefits for people suffering from numerous ailments. Cons: With all the pros in mind we must still consider the cons of drug legalization.
Legalizing would most likely create more users which will only create more problems. Healthcare costs would rise as more people would need medical care due to overdoses and accidents. There may also be negative health effects on non-users, similar to the issues with second hand tobacco smoke. It is believed that more auto accidents and work related accidents would occur involving people under the influence. Work related accidents would cause problems for the employers. They would have to deal with workman’s comp benefit payments and other insurance issues.
Although there is no “ hard evidence , marijuana is considered the “gateway drug” and by legalizing it more people may start using and all users may seek a new high. People need to take children into consideration when thinking about legalizing drugs. When young children see their parents, siblings, or other family members using drugs they may think it is socially acceptable when it is not. There are many opinions surrounding the debate on whether to legalize drugs or not.
Only you can be the judge of your own life and decisions. References Legalize Marijuana, Legal Weed, Marijuana Facts A» Pros & Cons of Legalizing Marijuana. (n. d. ). Legalize Marijuana, Legal Weed, Marijuana Facts . Retrieved April 9, 2013, from http://legalizationofmarijuana. com/pros-and-cons-of-marijuana. html Pros and Cons of Legalizing Marijuana. (n. d. ). Buzzle. Retrieved April 9, 2013, from www. buzzle. com/articles/pros-and-cons-of-legalizing-marijuana. html
