Why the United States Should Legalize Drugs

"Prohibition is an awful flop. We like it. It can't stop what it's meant to stop. We like it. It's left a trail of graft and slime, it don't prohibit worth a dime, it's filled our land with vice and crime. Nevertheless, we're for it." This quote is from Franklin Adams in 1931. The legalization of drugs has long been an issue concerning of just how far does our freedom and pursuit of happiness go?

Judging by facts presented by the United States Historical Bureau of the Census, there can be little doubt that most, if not all, of "drug-related murders" are the result of drug prohibition. It is empirically proven that prohibition increases the rate of violent crime. For example, when the 18^th amendment banned alcohol in 1920, the rate of murders rose with the start of Prohibition, continued to remain high during Prohibition and declined for 11 years following the termination of Prohibition. After Prohibition ended in 1933 murders declined by more than 4,000 by 1941. Also, in the Netherlands, where soft drugs are legal, there are much lower crime rates than in neighboring France and Spain, where narcotic drugs are illegal.

Some people may argue that legalizing drugs is a backwards step. However in a society where prohibition has been shown to make the problem worse, removing prohibition is actually a step in the right direction. According to Commander John Grieve, Criminal Intelligence Unit, in 1970 15% of young people had used an illegal drug, in 1995 45% of young people had. Clearly prohibition doesn't work.

Also, the Constitution guarantees all United States citizens the right to the Pursuit of Happiness, as long as they are not directly harming others. By using a narcotic, people may be negatively impacting themselves, but they are not directly harming another person. In all actuality, as you can see from the warrants presented above, prohibition actually harms people and infringes on their constitutional rights.

Some people may argue that using drugs does, indirectly, harm people. However, the Constitution must be interpreted in a way that fits with modern society. And if the Constitution was interpreted to say that we can not pursue happiness in any way that indirectly or directly harms others we wouldn't be able to do anything. For example, driving a car would be off limits because the emissions from the car might cause someone to have an asthma attack. When you look at it this way, you can see how interpreting the Constitution in this way is impractical.

Legalizing drugs protects people and their rights by reducing the number of "drug-related murders", which have been shown to be caused by drug prohibition and by letting United States citizens practice their constitutional right to pursue happiness without directly harming others. For this reason, I urge you to support the legalization of drugs in the United States.