So, legalizing drugs lowers crime rates? I mean you would have to think this is a misleading statement, after all statistics can be manipulated in many ways. For example is we got rid of every police officer the crime rate would be zero! Crime is solved, except it isn’t. This is what we like to call a paradox.
When I was younger I remember having a conversation with a women who disagreed with me about drug legalization policy. She told me drug legalization is a ridiculous notion, it would ruin the school system.I asked her if I legalize heroine tomorrow are you going to go out and buy some? She said “no, of course not”. I told her, this is exactly my point! See the people in society who want to be on drugs are already on drugs. In fact 80% of the population who has a drug related addiction has this addiction as a result of an already legal prescribed drug. This should give you pause for thought to stop and think about drug laws in this country , about what actually causes drug addiction, and why only a small minority of drugs are illegal. Think that legalization of drugs would be a complete disaster for society? Here is why you might need to revisit that conviction.
As it stands today drugs are illegal. Each person we put in prison must be clothed, feed, sheltered, showered. Every individual prisoner costs tens of thousands of dollars each to keep in jail. We must consider the payroll/wage cost of active duty policeman to seek out drug activity. Some people require state appointed attorneys as a constitutional right. We must consider the cost of things like gas or guns or vests for police to do their jobs. I could go on and on.
Everything listed above cost the state money. State money is tax payer money. This very literally means you. You the tax payer are paying cash out of your pocket to fund all of these things! Is this how you want money taken out of your wallet to be spent? The United States of America is running a 18.5 trillion dollar debt and this deficit literally grows larger each passing minute.The country is hemorrhaging money but still find it necessary to finance a war on drugs?
The fact of the matter is the people in society who want to be on drugs are already on drugs. Even police officers admit they can not keep drugs out of the hands of drug users. If they could, they would. The war on drugs has failed, it has been failing for quite a long time. Just think of all the state money (your money) being used in vein to finance this effort.
If we legalized drugs, we turn crippling expenditure into a money making enterprise overnight.All the money previously used to keep drug abusers in prison, prosecute them, have police spend active duty time pursuing them et cetera is immediately freed up. Furthermore, the legalization of drugs increases state revenue through the money made by taxing the product. As some states are showing us legalizing drugs does in fact reduce the crime rates. No manipulation of statistics needed. Imagine that.
How does legalization positively effect government? Legalization tax revenue benefits our legislators (Legislative Branch) by giving them more money to spend on their budgets. Legalization positively improves the lives of police (Executive Branch) because they no longer have the burden of fighting a losing battle. I propose with the increase in state revenue made through taxes that we give can a percentage of this back to the police in the form of salary raises. Legalization significantly lowers the number of inmates into our already over crowded prisons system. Lastly, legalization will reduce the traffic flow in and out of the court rooms (Judicial Branch). Speeding up legal processes for everyone else in society. With the reversal of our current public drug policy, all 3 branches of government will see benefits.
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“I propose with the increase in state revenue made through taxes that we give can a percentage of this back to the police in the form of salary raises.”
You have seen the police articles on here, right? Do you honestly think that people like that deserve a pay rise? I’m not saying that every cop is like that but I will guarantee there’s a lot more to be identified.
You only mention the benefits to the government in this. You could have mentioned how legalising drugs potentially means that the drugs are safer to use as well. Could work the other way though. Legalised drugs also means more people on the street which would mean more housing and employment are needed. I don’t live in the US but I doubt there’s even a single state where there’s enough free housing and jobs for imprisoned drug users to live and work. That’s just going to increase homelessness and unemployment.
I agree with your point regarding drugs and the potential to make them safer. This article does focus heavily the benefits to the government and its officials i appreciate your devil’s advocate take on this.
I agree 100% but the corporate prisons (Monsanto owned?) are gonna scream about it.
You had me until you proposed raising salaries of law enforcement staff. Not funding for education, homeless, disabled, job creation but putting money in the hands of most often some of most corrupt members of society. If some drugs are legalized then we should be cutting the amount of law enforcement by decreasing drug based law enforcement agencies. That coupled with increased tax revenue would stimulate an economy by reducing this gross differential between the classes. Maybe just maybe there will be a middle class again. So while i applaud your sound arguements regarding the drug legalization policy, I am drastically opposed to your proposed solution.
My solution is that cannabis should be legalised for all uses, all drugs should be legalised for medicinal use and all prisons should be turned into Rehab/Correctional facilities!