Legalizing Drugs

Dear Mr. Fulton Gillespie,

I recently read your article on how legalizing drugs will bring benefits and aid to the drug abusers, which I found inspiring, compelling, and intriguing all at the same time. Firstly, before I begin analyzing the article, I would like to say that I am extremely sorry to hear about the death of your son due to the overdose and toxicity of heroin and I hope that you are recovering well from the recent tragedy of your son. Even though I could not help but spot some flaws in your article, I did also find some ideas that I could agree upon.

As shown in the article, you seem to hold a firm belief in the positive results it would bring if drugs were legalized; initially, I would say that I oppose to any concepts of drugs being legalized. However, having read your article, I found myself convinced to the legalization of drugs to some extent. First of all, you believe that “it is not the drug itself, but the criminalization of it that killed your son” and that “if all drugs had been legalized and controlled…, the heroin would have been controlled and therefore not toxic”. Therefore, by legalizing drugs, drug users can benefit from proper treatment under regulated systems. Nevertheless, it is untrue that even though drugs are now purified, drugs are still perilous. For instance, another kind of heroin death could occur if a drunken person ingests even a relatively small amount of heroin. The aforementioned form of heroin death contradicts your concept that legalizing drugs because with an enhanced quantity of legal drugs, people can gain access to drugs with ease and most importantly, without violating the laws. This can encourage people, who previously were afraid of violating the law, to take drugs knowing that they will not be taken into legal actions by the government. Moreover, by legalizing drugs, the society may pursue more dangerous substances to obtain a more exhilarating experience.

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Also, I found your opinion on drugs should be a public-health rather than a criminal matter extremely appealing. First of all, I do agree that “the billions saved in the costs of law enforcement, street crime, and property theft should be redirected towards regulation, licensing, education, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation” because rather than spending excessive amount of money on attempting to control drugs, criminalizing drug abusers, and cutting down street crimes but still not guaranteed to make progress, the money should be invested in a more promising phase of preventing drugs. In other words, rather than spending money trying to track down people in hiding, knowing the consequences they will face if confronted, the money should be spent to encourage people to request help upon their own will, knowing that they will be treated not as criminals but as patients. Moreover, licensing can also help control the clarity of the drugs, and lower the price of drugs to which addicts would have no need to steal in order to pay. Yet, most importantly, licensing is to make sure that the drugs are pure and not toxic pertaining to the human body. Furthermore, education can raise the awareness to the children that drugs can cause people physical and mental predicaments. By shifting the facet of prevention of drugs in which the money is invested towards, we can prevent, as you noted, “the government spending billions of dribbling water in at one end while criminals are making billions pouring toxic fuel in at the other.”

Additionally, another point you rose relating to changing the society’s view on drugs is benefiting the drug users and not discriminating them. You argued that “drug abusers, like alcoholics, should be treated as patients needing help rather than criminals to be punished.” I agree to this concept entirely as the society needs to learn to understand that by humiliating the drug users, it will not lead them to stop using drugs. If they are already addicted, humiliation is not going to benefit their situations, instead it may cause them to develop depression and encourage them to take more drugs accordingly. If the drug users acknowledge the fact that the government is merely trying to help them, and giving them a chance, then the drug abusers may be more appreciative and accept help at the rehabilitation center.

Summing up, after reading your article on the legalization of drugs, I grew to inherit the belief that the legalization of drugs may to some extent, in fact, benefit the drug abusers. I believe that the legalization of drugs will offer the drug users a new path and a fresh outlook on life with the help of rehabilitation centers. “At present, we cannot control the drugs supply either in quantity or quality.” Thus, by abolishing the prohibition of drugs and legalizing the drugs we will be handed a chance of controlling the quantity and quality of the drugs, which will eventually benefit drug abusers from experiencing “very death end” for following “the drugs road”. “At least we will be sure that they will get treatment and the chance of rehabilitation. And for those foolish enough to keep using, we will be sure that what they take will not kill them.”

Sincerely,