Actually the United States of America is both a Republic and Democracy.

Just wanted to see who was paying attention. ;)


Alcohol does not have the same addictive qualities of heroin and some other illegal substances, nor does it cause extensive health problems like crack or ice do.

I suppose that Cirrhosis of the liver isn't an extensive health problem. Or that people can't die for alcohol poisoning. Or drunken driving is harmless. Seems to me that they are equatable.

Alcohol is very additive to many people, as is nicotine. Some people don't even know that they are predisposed to alcoholism and are addicted from the very first drink. In fact, up to 40 percent of industrial fatalities and 47 percent of industrial injuries can be linked to alcohol use and alcoholism.

Why do you think we have to give prescriptions for some medications?

Ah, but there's the rub! Prescription medication is LEGAL, but that's not to say that people don't get their hands on it using less than savory methods.


You cannot equate alcohol with any illegal drug with the exception of maybe marijuana. Heroin, cocaine, crack, ice, meth, PCP, etc are so dangerous either physically/lethality or in terms of addiction potential that they should never be legalized.

What about the medicinal use of marijuana? Or how about the addictive qualities of the legal drug morphine? Morphine can be just as harmful as heroin.

If you need some more convincing, go volunteer in an ER or a police department (preferably a larger city one) on some Friday or Saturday nights, if you haven't already--you'll get to see the destructive effects of these drugs first hand on a regular basis. After you see a few people come through who are in withdrawal because they can't get their fix, or who've destroyed their bodies with meth (if they haven't caused an explosion trying to make it at home), or the kids who've been beaten to a pulp because their parent(s) were strung out, you'll have a different perspective.

And this is my point. ALL of this happens in a society that has the mistaken notion that the war on drugs is a productive venture. Ever since today's illicit drugs were outlawed, addiction has risen dramatically. There was virtually no drug problem before these drugs were outlawed. People weren't robbing their grandmothers so they could go buy Coca-Cola by the case! (FYI, cocaine was one of the original ingredients for those of you who didn't know) All the money that has been funneled into this "war" has been spent in vain, and yet people are in an uproar over spending in the Iraq war.

I'm all for personal responsibility, but that doesn't mean you should hand someone a gun to shoot themselves with, and legalizing highly addictive and/or dangerous illegal substances would be akin to doing just that.

No one said such a thing. I am not advocating addiction. Decriminalization would be a productive move because all the funding that has been poured into combating drug trafficking could then be used for treatment and programs that encourage people to stay off drugs. It is widely known that the best way to combat addiction is through workplace drug screening. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that 77% of drug users in the United States are employed. 77%!!! If every place of employment were to participate in a Drug-Free Workplace program, it would make an incredible positive impact that the current approach could never have. Not to mention the impact that would have on the cost of health care and health insurance coverage.