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Should Drugs Be Legalized?
For several decades drugs have been one of the major problems
of society. There have been escalating costs spent on the war against
drugs and countless dollars spent on rehabilitation, but the problem
still exists. Not only has the drug problem increased but drug related
problems are on the rise. Drug abuse is a killer in our country. Some
are born addicts(crack babies), while others become users.
The result of drug abuse is thousands of addicts in denial.
The good news is the United States had 25,618 total arrests and
81,762 drug seizures due to drugs in 1989 alone, but the bad news is
the numbers of prisoners have increased by 70 percent which will cost
about $30 million dollars. Despite common wisdom, the U.S isn't
experiencing a drug related crime wave. Government surveys show
between 1980 - 1987 burglary rates fell 27 percent, robbery 21 percent
and murders 13 percent, but with new drugs on the market these numbers
are up. One contraversial solution is the proposal of legalizing
drugs. Although people feel that legalizing drugs would lessen crime,
drugs should remain illegal in the U.S because there would be an
increase of drug abuse and a rapid increase of diseases such as AIDS.
Many believe that legalizing drugs would lessen crime. They
point out that the legalization of drugs would deter future criminal
acts. They also emphasize and contrast Prohibition. When the public
realized that Prohibition could not be enforced the law was repealed.
From this, one may infer the same of legalizing drugs. Legalizing
alcohol didn't increase alcoholism, so why would drugs increase drug
abuse?
However, drugs should not be legalized because there would be
an increase in drug abuse due to its availability. Once legalized,
drugs would become cheaper and more accessible to people who
previously had not tried drugs, because of the high price or the legal
risk. Drug abuse would skyrocket! Addicts who tend to stop, not by
choice, but because the drugs aren't accessible would now feed the
addiction if drugs were made legal. These drug addicts would not be
forced to kick the habit due to the availability of the drug they
would partake eagerly. The temptation to use drugs would increase when
advertisements for cocaine, heroin and marijuana are displayed on
television. Instead of money used by employed addicts, you will see
welfare funds used to purchase drugs. If welfare funds were being
misused, this would cause a major problem in the economy. Drugs must
not be legalized. It puts our country at a terrible risk.
Health officials have shown that the legalization of drugs
would cause a rapid increase of diseases such as AIDS. AIDS poses a
growing threat to addicts, and thus to society as a whole. The virus
that causes AIDS is growing, due to drug addicts who share needles and
syringes. The sharing of such needles by intravenous drug users helps
increase the spread of AIDS. "Infection among IV drug abusers is
continuing to occur at a very steady rate," warn Richard E. Chaisson
director of the AIDS service at John Hopkins University. In the U.S
gay men still make up the primary risk group, although 750,000 to 1
million drug addicts are believed to be at risk to AIDS nationally.
The problem here is the sharing of needles, which is causing the
spread of AIDS. IV drug abusers are killing our nation at an amazingly
fast speed. AIDS which surfaced in the 80's is now on the rise and
even more deadly to IV drug users. The sharing of needles must be
stopped. Drugs should not be legalized.
Although people feel that legalizing drugs would lessen crime,
drugs should remain illegal in the U.S because there would be an
increase of drug abuse and a rapid increase of diseases such as AIDS.
The United States can not afford this problem. It has become a world
power by strengthening its people not by killing them. Drug abuse has
gotten worse, with its effects on crack babies, drug addicts, and the
I.V user. There must be education for the survival of this nation, not
legalization.
ADDITIONAL FEATURED ESSAYS
Legalization Of Marijuana
The purpose of this paper is to discuss marijuana and compare both sides of the issue of legalizing marijuana. We have t
Legalizing Marijuana
The purpose of this paper is to discuss marijuana and compare both sides of the issue of . We have two factions fighting
The Legalization Of Marijuana: Pros And Cons
The purpose of this paper is to discuss marijuana and compare both sides of the issue of legalizing marijuana. We have t
Only Those With No Hope Take Drugs
Beatle John Lennon once said "." But I believe the statement is partly true, because not only those with no hope take dr
DARE
I Promise not to do drugs because I know that if I do drugs A. Nobody will like me except people that do drugs (druggies
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