An Analysis of Gore Vidal's Essay

Gore Vidal, in the New York Times declared to the world that to stop drug addiction in the United States, the government should "simply make all drugs available and sell them at a cost". This he says will eventually solve the alarming rate of drug problem in the country. Quite blatantly, he also accused the US government for the deaths of "kids hooked on heroin" due to the FBI's curtailment of Mexican marijuana in 1969. Vidal proposed that the drugs be labeled with a "precise description of what effect - good and bad - the drug will have on the taker". Requiring "heroic honesty" on the part of the government, this will take enormous effort to admit that marijuana is neither addictive nor dangerous, "unlike speed, which kills most unpleasantly, or heroin, which is addictive and difficult to kick".

This piece, published in 1970 was pretty gutsy. In a time where peace, love and drugs for all was a reality, proposing this idea could either be taken to as a preposterous joke or a serious affront to the US government. Vidal's direct and straightforward proposal can be very daunting but the idea of legalizing drugs is not a new concept. In some countries, marijuana and opium can be purchased over the country. In small does, these are also sold for its medicinal properties. Vidal's essay , admittedly is a bold piece of writing but it does not provide for the reader a clear-cut outline of why drugs should be legalized, aside from the notion that people's right to choice whether to be addicts or not. "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...".

Although he does make a good point giving a historical perspective on the effects of Prohibition which he likens to the illegality of drugs in the present situation. As a result of the prohibition, one of the greatest periods of crime in the country followed in its wake. This however, is not the same case as drugs because alcohol, although also addictive, have always been consumed legally by human beings for centuries only abruptly stopped by the Prohibition. Vidal's argument, although logical in all aspects, generalizes and categorizes people into the mainliners and the not. He states that "some people will always become drug addicts just as some people will always become alcoholics..." There are no gray lines with Vidal's piece, no people in between. His argument for legalizing drugs is that people will, even with laws prohibiting drugs, become addicted to drugs. And teenagers who barely know to put their pants on are given the heavy burden of choosing for themselves whether to take or not take drugs. These are individuals who can only plan as far ahead as the weekend.
Countries like the Netherlands have legalized prostitution and in a high degree, increased their country's GNP through a booming industry. The sex trade is also regulated in terms of its members being healthy and safe from sexually transmitted viruses. This is one instance where the legalization of a formerly prohibited thing has become quite successful.

Gore Vidal ends this essay in a negative tone, asking if anything sensible will be done by the American people. He says no, "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". Quite depressing but also very realistic. Maybe in the future, Vidal will have his world with drugs legalized but I don't think now is the time. I still believe that to curb the plague that is drug addiction, we only need to make law enforcement more effective than it has been.

Work Cited

Vidal, Gore. Drugs. New York Times. September 26, 1970.