Many of your points are valid ones, but they fail to address the morality of an individual person’s use of marijuana and only focus on whether the drug should be legal.
Perhaps marijuana should not be as vigorously pursued by law enforcement, but I’m surely grateful that the DEA is working to eliminate other dangerous drugs (cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, meth). Their use poses a threat to the common good; as such, they should be illegal.
I would definitely say that there is a much stronger argument, which I posted earlier, for an individual not using mind-altering substances, than there is for keeping marijuana illegal. That said, I don’t think legalizing the drug should really be on the top of anyone’s agenda.
All drugs should be legal. Anything & everything. Or make every leagl drug illegal: tobacco, alchohol, caffine…
Other than the legal issue, what is really the difference if someone smokes a joint after work, and someone has a shot of vodka and a beer? In moderation most things are not harmfull, but even too much coffee/soda has negative side effects.
Morality is a different issue than legality. If the stigma of drugs were eliminated I think it would change very little in society. Just because heroin is legal, would you shoot up? Most wouldn’t either, but there are some who would. Education and prevention measures shouldn’t be eliminated, but the money now spent on interdiction, jails, para-military operations could be spent on such education in schools. By making them leagal they loose much of the allure.
Pie in the sky attitude- yes, I know. Maybe even a little facitious but truth be told I would prefer to see almost all drugs decriminalized.
Should we (humans) legeslate morality? Are we to limit the free will we are endowed with to others? I say no to a large degree. Don’t get me wrong, I think certain drugs are just unhealthy and dangerous to society at large as well as individually, but I also think we need to be carefull in how we deal with them as a society, and as a faith.
Businesses, schools, the military, government…should have the same rights though too. It goes both ways. Any company or organization should have the right to set certain policy as they see fit. Guidleines can be set: such as equipment operators, policeman and the like.
Alcohol is a great example. The government says it is ok to drink, but not drink and drive. If someone wants to snort coke all day- have at it. Do it in your home and die if that is your choice. But if the job you have, or want has a policy to test for drugs, hey, that is the rule. I wouldn’t want the school bus driver who drives kids to school, or cabbies on the streets stoned or impaired- so the company or school has the right to have a no drug use policy to be hired and maintain their job. It’s like that now. I am sure there are bus drivers who smoke/drink…on and off the job. It isn’t stopping them when drugs are illegal, but by making them legal it becomes a different situation all together.
If you want to buy meth, go to the store instead of cooking it in your garage where it endangers your neighbors who don’t know you have dangerous and explosive chemicals in a residential neighborhood.
Have kids? The government can set make a law that drug use while kids are in the house is child abuse. You’ll be arrested for stupidity, not immorality. You want to take that PCP, put your kids up for adoption.
Again, these things happen now, but when people get arrested for drugs the charge is possession, or intent to distribute. It should be manufacturing without a liscense, operating a business in a residential neighborhood, no business liscense, not paying taxes…(Al Capone style busted)
I remember commercials when I was growing up- usually on Sunday nights when we as a family used to watch the Disney movie together. A blue screen with the words Public Service Announcement would appear and a voice would ask “Do you know where your childen are?” Then the movie would start again. We should do more of that, and more of those “This is your brain on drugs” commercials. Kids and parents will get it.
A addict might always steal to buy drugs, and should be arrested for theft, but it’s architect Suburban Joe who gets busted in the seedy part of town buying drugs who loses his job, vehicle, house… and serves time in jail because he wanted to smoke a joint on Saturday night. I say let him go to 7-11 to get it. Let the addict too if he earned some money.
God will be the judge if he was immoral or sinfull, or wrong. We shouldn’t. We should offer help and compassion to those who need it, want it, and ask for it if they get lost in that life.
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