Should All Drugs Be Legal - 1925 Words

Which Side Do You Choose? The list of drugs in today’s society is vast: Hydrocodone, marijuana, alcohol, morphine, LSD, aspirin, cocaine, nicotine, methamphetamine, ephedrine, even caffeine; the list goes on, and so does the debate. Should all drugs be legal? Should all drugs be illegal? There are both pros and cons if all drugs were legal or not, but first let’s start by realizing what a drug is, how they’re classified, and what the benefits would be for either condition. A drug is not a substance used only for treatment, nor are all drugs considered bad. A drug is a substance by which its chemical nature affects a living organism. How these drugs are categorized is if they are mentioned in a legal or pharmaceutical perspective. In legal†¦show more content†¦Stimulants include cocaine, caffeine, nicotine, methamphetamine, Ritalin, and amphetamine. Depressants are composed of barbiturates, alcohol, benzodiazepines, and Xanax. Different types of cannabis are hash, THC, marijuana, and hash oil. Hallucinogens are types of LSD, peyote, ecstasy, and bufotenine. Phencyclidine include PCP, ketamine, and sernyl. Inhalants can be glue, paint, ether, or toluene. Last but not least, alcohol: ethyl, wine, beer, liquor, and bourbon. Let’s start off with one of many questions that arise: why not just prohibit the sell and use of drugs everywhere? An excellent example is the 18th amendment which banned manufacture, sell, and transportation of alcohol. It did not, however, prohibit the consumption or private possession of intoxicating liquors. There was a struggle to enforce the Prohibition for the thirteen years it was in effect, and people assumed that banning alcohol would be the solution. It turned out that the Prohibition wasn’t the resolution people hoped it to be. Instead, it failed to actually prevent people of consuming alcohol and also led to untaxed, unregulated, liquor. To make matters worse, organized crime, an increased amount of violence, and corruption of politics also occurred, mostly with bootlegging. Al Capone, a Chicago gangster, greatly benefited from the prohibition by annually making sixty million dollars per year, untaxed. The average skilled