The issue of drug use in America seems to be a problem that will not go away anytime soon.
Just look back on the history of its use in this country and you will see why.
When asked about how to deal with the issue of drug use and drug problems in America, economist Milton Friedman suggested that the problem wasn't with the drugs, it was with the government interfering.
If you think about all of the crime and violence that goes on, what is at the root of it all? Nine times out of ten, these violent crimes have to do with drugs and obtaining them.
But because the government has intervened over the years, making drug use illegal and punishable by law, increasing numbers of people have been forced to change the way in which they obtain drugs.
In most cases, this results in the cost of certain drugs going up either marginally or by a large percentage.
But what would happen if we legalized drugs in this country? Let me play devil's advocate for a minute here.
Suppose it was OK to buy and sell drugs.
This would probably lead to a sharp decline in violent crimes because the same people who are being accused as criminals would now no longer have to worry about getting caught by cops.
Additionally, the price of drugs would more than likely go down since there would be less of a financial burden placed on those wishing to buy.
For instance, you could now walk into a convenience store and easily obtain your choice of marijuana or cocaine.
Now, some might say that this is a horrible idea.
If you legalize drugs, then you're going to have an increased number of people who will be committing crimes and causing a ruckus.
Not so! Why would people cause an up rise in something that was now so cheap and affordable? If someone uses drugs, who are they really hurting? Themselves.
Obviously, if we took this route in terms of how we thought of drugs, we would then have to increase our level of understanding about the side effects as well as make sure that no one drove while under the influence of drugs.
At the end of the day, can't we conclude that those who use drugs are only hurting themselves versus others nine times out of ten? Why is it that alcohol can be legally bought but not drugs? A lot of us forget that a while ago, the United States had prohibition.
All of that being said, why not try it out- you know, test out the theory? After all, we probably have just as many drugs here (if not more) than we think.
And while drugs may be bad, there has got to be a way to minimize the negative effects.
Alert police officers to the problem.
Try it out for one week in which people are allowed to use drugs in the privacy of their homes.
As long as there are no drugs being used in the offices and people are being responsible in their drug use, how could it go wrong?