Ms. Tran’s editorial about the dangers of marijuana and other illegal drugs was a very well articulated argument. I agree with Ms. Tran on the majority of her points. I also have a few comments and issues to elaborate on as well.
I believe that in America, in today's society, we are not ready to fully legalize marijuana. Besides all of the negative attributes that go along with marijuana which are being fought so hard to keep illegal, there is a plague of ignorance in our country in regards to marijuana. The people that fight to keep it illegal run smear campaigns and spread outright lies to fool the masses. Conversely, the people that are trying to get it legalized like to convey the point that there is absolutely no side effects to marijuana, besides a guaranteed great time. The reality of the matter is somewhere in the middle, but unfortunately most of the country just has to take someones word on the matter.
As Ms. Tran states, drugs have completely destroyed countless lives and families in our state. Obviously it is a huge problem that needs to be addressed. The method best to address it is a hotly debated topic. Should we pour countless more dollars into the drug war that will never truly end as long as there is money to be made? Should we legalize some or all drugs and simply restrict them therefore increasing tax revenue and taking the market out of the hands of drug lords? The best solution might be to look at other countries as a model, and look at our history as well.
Countries like Portugal, The Netherlands, and others in the European Union have either completely decriminalized most drugs, or have adopted policies that take a blind eye to drugs as long as its not encroaching on the well being of others. One might then naturally assume that these places would become the new drug meccas where people want to come and party. However, the studies that have been produced have shown that drug related deaths have dropped, drug related diseases have dropped, and that the people that have drug problems are more inclined to seek help knowing that they won’t be arrested. Would this system work in America? Most would agree we are typically behind the curve when it comes to matters like this, so probably not.
The history aspect to bring up would be to compare the legalization of marijuana to the prohibition era of our country. The difference is that even before the prohibition took effect, alcohol had a chance to come into the mainstream and lose the taboo of illicit substances. In turn when the prohibition era was in effect, it became obvious rather quickly that alcohol was here to stay. This is to many people quite an odd dichotomy, because it doesn't take a genius to know that alcohol has the potential to be incredibly dangerous and life destroying. Most would agree that alcohol is a much worse drug than marijuana, but that taboo factor for alcohol has long since been dismissed. It is only a matter of time for the same thing to happen with marijuana.
Are drugs dangerous? Absolutely. Whether legal or illegal, drugs undoubtedly have the ability to destroy lives. As Ms. Tran points out, legalizing drugs has the potential to draw more people, especially the easily impressionable, into its grasp. This is especially why regardless of what Texas and the US does, education is imperative. People need to be completely aware of the risks of the substance they are ingesting, legal or otherwise.
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