This is a continuation of the discussion surrounding the legalization of drugs. The last post talked about the economic reason why banning does little since there is still a demand. This time we are going to take a closer look at those who feed that demand.
When it comes to drugs the risk of operation is incredibly high. Mots governments have banned drugs so those who create them work outside the law. This has many consequences. One that I believe is not talked about enough is the health danger of a lack of regulation. When a thing is legal most governments implement some sort of regulation simply to maintain standards and ensure that the consumers are as safe as possible. This is the exact opposite of drugs since there are no regulations but there is almost infinite profit to make it is common to cut drugs with other chemicals or other items to reduce cost. When this is done it usually leads to death or horrendous health issues separate to the effects of the drugs themselves. It is a fair statement to say that it is more dangerous for people when drugs are illegal as a consumer because there is a lack of clear regulation and safety.
This is compounded by the issue of the criminal underworld. Cartels, Gangs and other groups conduct criminal activity which impacts the lives of millions and leads to the death of thousands. What keeps these groups in power? Drugs. Most of the income of these groups comes from drugs. This fuels the other criminal activity and creates a cycle of pain. This cycle could be broken with the legalization of drugs as the power would be stripped away from the cartels and gangs and placed on businesses who can operate in the open safely so they are encouraged to follow laws.
Based on your argument, it seems to make sense to legalize most if not all drugs. However, if that becomes true, wouldn't people still create stronger, cheaper, etc drugs in Cartels and gangs? Just because something is legalized, doesn't mean that it still can't be created in a less regulated way. For example, organ donations are a very legalized thing with proper protocols and procedures, but there are still black markets that also sell these organs and are dangerous to the people who receive them as well.
ReplyDeleteIs legalization going to solve all these issues? Not necessarily. For example, even with regulation, there may be "legal" drugs that are much more expensive than the drugs that people could get from the black market or cartels/gangs. This has even happened with medicines as prices have increased. They're legal, but their high costs has caused people to turn to dark and dangerous alternatives. Therefore, I feel like even if many drugs were legalized, the problem wouldn't necessarily disappear, but I do see how in some aspects, it could be safer–but only for a select group of people.
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