The legalization of drugs in North America.

Drugs - the issue is wholly controversial, and the debate not entirely without merit. It is hard to see exactly what the answer should be, without looking at all the facts; even then, many "experts" fluctuate between a "Yes" and a "No" answer. Granted, there are many sides to the problem; however, with the decriminalization of marijuana seemingly within reach, the debate for whether all illicit drugs should be decriminalized or even legalized has gotten more intense. There are many facets, but there can be only one answer; there is a need for either harsher penalties or the decriminalization or even legalization of illicit drugs. Legalization, however, is the only practical way to bring any positive results.

Politicians argue, "Illegal drugs and drug-related crime and violence kill 20,000 Americans a year, at a cost of $67 billion." If that is the case, the money should be better spent, should it not? So why not invest it in an effort to legalize drugs and provide treatment for those who are addicted? In the same aforementioned source, a politician arguing for the legalization of drugs sustained "by legalizing drugs and selling them for about half the present prices through state-operated retail outlets...we could produce profits of conservatively $21 billion per year to fund harm reduction."1 Therefore, instead of spending money in a losing battle (in actuality, the so called "war on drugs" has not shown any significant improvement), would not it be more profitable to spend the money in legalizing, and gaining control over the drug black market? The answer is obvious, yet many do not concur, turning instead to prohibition.

Prohibition has not brought any benefits; rather it has the opposite effect. In his article, "U.S. Fighting Drugs - But Not Too Hard," Patrick Buchanan refers to an article in the...