Legalize Drugs to Create New Jobs, Eliminate Violence
By: Mick, March 26th, 2009
How many more times do we have to listen to the same rhetoric about the failure of the War on Drugs before someone finally puts forth the only viable solution to this societal nightmare? Does anyone in Washington - or anywhere else for that matter - believe that throwing more money, resources and manpower at the drug problem is the answer?
As Hillary Clinton correctly pointed out recently, the US demand for illegal drugs is “insatiable”. And that doesn’t mean that we have too many people in this country doing drugs. It simply means that the people doing drugs are not ever going to stop because of the efforts of law enforcement or government authorities. They will stop only when they no longer wish to do drugs.
Many of the ills of this country can be traced to the fact that drugs are illegal and that so much of our law enforcement establishment is devoted to fighting a war they can’t possibly win. The cycle is simple: drugs are illegal so they are costly to obtain. But, drugs are very inexpensive to make or grow in other parts of the world where law enforcement does not have a viable presence. So, there is a tremendous amount of money to be made by getting inexpensively produced drugs to a marketplace willing to pay exorbitant amounts to purchase and consume them. The risk involved in getting the product to market is what drives the price of the product.
If we legalized drugs, there would be no risk in getting them to market and the price of the drugs would plummet. It would no longer be economically feasible for gangs and drug cartels to charge huge amounts of money for their product because the market would be flooded with product. Illegality only artificially inflates the value of drugs.
Short-sighted people tend to think the idea of legalizing drugs is ludicrous. But I’ve yet to hear a solid argument that says the current situation is better or that there is any viable path to “winning” the War on Drugs. The fact is that illegality is not a deterrent for people in this country. If you or I or anyone else wants to purchase/use any sort of illegal drug, they certainly know where to go to purchase it.
They’re not refraining from doing so because it’s illegal. They are refraining because they simply don’t want to do drugs. If drugs were legal, the same people would still choose not to use drugs - or they would choose to use drugs with roughly the same frequency that they currently do. Essentially, the illegality of drugs is a mirage.
Billions of dollars are flushed down the proverbial toilet every single year in pursuit of a pointless effort to stem the flow of drugs in this country. People are up in arms over the AIG Bonuses? What about the trillions that we’ve dumped trying to stop drug flow into the U.S.? Now that’s worthy of outrage.
Imagine how simple it could be. Drugs are legalized and the government controls everything. The FDA has control over the drugs, their manufacture, sale, quality control, etc., etc. A huge bureaucracy is made even larger to take on all of the administrative and legislative tasks aligned with controlling and distributing newly-legal drugs in this country. The amount of pharmaceutical jobs and warehouse jobs and health care jobs would skyrocket. And while jobs in law enforcement may decline initially, so many of these brave individuals could be re-trained to serve their country in ways that are not likely to get them killed.
Gang violence would plummet, since there would be no financial motivation for constantly killing fellow drug dealers. The structure of gangs themselves would be unnecessary and likely fade away. Prisons would be less crowded since people would no longer have to be incarcerated for owning or using drugs. All of the financial resources currently devoted to trying to stop the flow of drugs into the United States could be used in other areas. A small portion would still be required for the treatment and education of those that are already addicted to drugs, but likely not more than is already allocated toward that end.
The same people using drugs while they’re illegal will be using drugs when they’re legal. No more, no less.
If there is a downside to legalizing drugs that is in any way comparable to the miserable societal failure that we are currently experiencing, I’d love to hear it.
Tags: create new jobs by legalizing drugs, obvious solution to war on drugs
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March 26th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Excellent work, I especially like your idea that illegality is a mirage - so true. People need to open their minds and realize this is the only humane, economically cost effective choice to make.
March 28th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Until politicians are convinced that they won’t be lambasted for suggesting it, it can’t happen. At the end of the day, the American people make legalization impossible because some portion of the population will try to destroy any politician who suggests it. The reaction of various bloated bureaucracies, no matter how sound the argument that they could be re-organized into new agencies, would be extreme. How would the DEA react? Here’s a mythical response: “I’ve spent 30 years dedicating my life to the eradication of illegal drugs, their use and the dealers who supply them, and now you’re telling me I wasted all that time - 30 years of my life?”
Unfortunately, the answer to that questions is “Yes, you were wasting your time.” On the other hand…at least you had a job.
One interesting point - you noted that the price of drugs would plummet, which is actually a bad thing if we’re trying to decrease drug use. More to the point - the cost of producing and distributing the drugs would decrease, but the government tax on the product itself should keep the prices where they are now so that the argument could be made to those who oppose such legalization measures that lowers prices would not lead more people to use. THIS comes from someone who is firmly in the “taxation is not the answer” camp, but I’m willing to be that extreme in this instance because, logically speaking, legalization solves many more problems that it creates.
March 31st, 2009 at 10:55 am
I don’t have any answers, but I do have a few questions.
Would the sale of drugs illegally really end? What about prescription drugs that are sold on the streets now? Wouldn’t that continue?
Would gangs really break up because they can’t sell drugs like cocaine or heroin? Or would they find some other way to earn money - outside the bounds of the law? What if the real thrill lies in “bucking the system?”
What about drugs like meth? It’s possibly more dangerous to produce than it is to take. Do you think people would stop making it at home if the government sanctioned making it in labs?
I don’t disagree with you, I just don’t think it’s as simple as you make it sound; people are too varied and complex.
March 31st, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Fauve — All legitimate questions, to be sure. For the sake of my fascination with the topic, these are my thoughts:
Of course drugs would still be sold illegally, even if “legal” to own or sell. Same with everything else - cars, clothing, cigarettes, alcohol, etc. There will always be “alternative” markets for goods and services. I also think there would be a distinct difference between prescription drugs and the recreational drugs we’re talking about. The prescription debate is an interesting offshoot, however, and one that I hadn’t really considered.
I don’t think gangs would immediately dissolve, but with the primary source of funding removed, it would make sense that people would look elsewhere for their money. Initially, that may be theft or some other sort of criminal enterprise, but those crimes can be isolated and prosecuted with finite results. The current flow of drugs into this country is unstoppable because the demand is “insatiable” (thanks, Hillary) and the ball will continually be picked up by the next opportunistic criminal. I think the positives of breaking the cycle that currently exists would far outweigh the consequences in both the short and long term from the perspective of crime and/or criminal activity.
As for meth - and I know almost nothing about it other than the specials I’ve seen on TV - it seems to be most attractive to people in areas without access to the more mainstream drugs. At least, that’s where it’s popularity seemed to explode. With legalization, people seeking the meth high could simply use cocaine or heroine and spare themselves the trouble of brewing that stuff and blowing themselves to hell.
March 31st, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Your argument for legalized drugs certainly has merit. I agree with much of what you espouse. I do not, however, envision a reduction in gang affiliation. Gangs have a social function as well as a practical function. Many gang related killings are not about rivalries for drug dollars.
Without question, low cost drugs would eliminate “drug wars”. Although, addicts would be less inclined to commit burglaries and robberies, what is the recourse to former drug suppliers? If the government is involved, why not have government crops and create employment opportunities. In my opinon, the enormous amount of money made in dealing drugs is a source of revenue for government and law enforcement officials. There is also an apparent hidden agenda in keeping drugs illegal. Many young black males are taken out of society with sentences for crack cocaine possession that are longer than sentences for vehicular homicide.
Overall, I concur with your basic premise and agree that almost anything would be better than our present “War on Drugs.”
I cordially invite you to the University of Social Realities at the above website. Your comments are welcomed and solicited. Thank you.
Houston Graves
March 31st, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Good point about the social function for gangs. My view of that aspect of the issue is probably overly simplistic.
I couldn’t agree more about the hidden agenda for keeping drugs illegal. I think that hidden agenda has many layers, including racial bias and greed. Thousands of jobs depend on the War on Drugs and billions of taxpayer dollars get dumped into it every year. Some of that money surely finds its way back to the elected officials that decide which companies are contracted with the money in the first place. That is the part of the cycle that we don’t see and we never hear about.
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:17 am
This is a really odd thing for me. I mean it’s one thing to legalize gambling (it’s been done before) to create new jobs, etc. But it’s completely different to legalize drugs for the same reason. I think there’s much more cons than pros here.
May 17th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
It’s a nice idea and as we look at the individual points they make sense. But what full-time politician is going to put her/his career on the line to back legalization?
May 18th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Good question, Ray. I’d say no full-time politician will ever do it. But if a non-career politician was able to get elected and was willing to sacrifice him/herself for the cause of common sense, it might be enough to start a movement toward legalization. Who would have guessed 8 years ago that we’d have an African American president in 2009. I’d bet no one. Ideas take some time to take hold and become “public opinion”…
June 6th, 2009 at 1:56 am
I respectfully disagree. I think the idea of legalized drugs in unworkable, and poorly reasoned. I wrote a considerable post on my blog about the topic, and I’d urge you and your readers to take a look if you want to see a different perspective. You can find the post here: http://thefrankspot.blogspot.com/2009/04/legalizing-drugs-zero-percent-solution.html
June 25th, 2009 at 6:33 am
I have agree with Imee’s comment this is a huge thing to decided to legalize drugs, wouldn’t we have more problems with it???? More people would be users and I think personally there would be no control over it.
July 1st, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I think that legalizing drugs would generate tax revenue and can allow people ways to be treated for their use. It would also create new products to fight the cravings which in turn would create more revenue and more jobs.
July 7th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
A little late in the reply but thought you’d find this really interesting.
Consider Portugal has decriminalized drugs and is a success (moral outrage aside!)
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/03/14/portugal/